Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting, AO, nicknamed Punter, is an Australian former cricketer who was captain of the Australia national cricket team during its 'golden era'; between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very occasional bowler. Ponting holds the incredible record of being the only cricketer in the history of Test cricket to be a part of 100...
NationalityAustralian
ProfessionCricket Player
Date of Birth19 December 1974
CityLaunceston, Australia
CountryAustralia
Brett is like he is because of his pace. If he drops back he becomes easier to hit so we addressed that last night. It's a confidence thing and about understanding the way he has to bowl. We've addressed these issues quite a few times with Brett, we did it with his one-day bowling a few years ago, and hopefully today is a step in right direction.
A few of our guys in the side knew him a lot better than I did, Shane Warne being one of those. Shane was a pretty close friend of Kerry's, so it's an extremely sad day and it's a huge loss for the cricket community.
If we can squeeze a few more runs out of the tail and then bowl well first thing in their innings it could be very interesting. That's not a bad total and it could be an even better one if we bowl well tomorrow - it's certainly not the end of the world as far as we're concerned.
We've been in this sort of situation before in series. We lost the first final of the VB Series a few weeks ago (against Sri Lanka in Australia) and won the next two.
We'll be able to put a stronger team on the ground and we can hopefully get back to playing the way we have been over the past few weeks. If we do, we'll be very hard to beat.
I think they've just slightly had the edge over Sri Lanka and I think Sri Lanka probably rely on too few players and I think South Africa have got more depth.
It was a game dominated by the ball and mostly by our bowlers.
I'm not concerned about those things, I know I'm not going to keep everybody happy along the way,
I guess at different times if they can't (execute plans) well then it might look like I have done something wrong or I am doing something wrong,
We just tried to pick the best team we can for this game,
We just gave away too big a start,
As I have seen over the last two days of this game, a lot of that fight is there but just not for long enough. If we want to win Test matches, it has to be over the four days, we have to be at our best for four days.
Every individual has got to put their hand up and stand up in a game that counts... There's no other option now, if guys can't get up for a game like the one we've got coming up, then they shouldn't be playing. I wouldn't think a batting change would come from outside the squad, and to tell the truth I don't think a bowling change would either.
There's more happening in the 'papers than out on the field although there was a little bit of needle in Perth and there probably will be at different times her and in Sydney. But I think it's been done in a friendly way, at least that I know of, unless something happened out there today. But whatever happens on the field, you leave it there and get on with it.