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
It's nice to put your hand up and do the big things the team requires of you.
We have played so well that the guys have really made my job fairly easy.
It was a long, hard, tough day. We managed to just sneak through, it was an unbelievable Test match.
I think any time you lose an Ashes series, especially with the hype and build-up surrounding it and the pride we have as Australians playing against England, that's always hard to take.
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.
We just tried to pick the best team we can for this game,
We just gave away too big a start,
We were confident of going close -- maybe not as close as it was in the end.
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.
The team the West Indies picked was fairly light on with their batting and we knew that if we made some early in-roads that we might be able to go through them reasonably quickly.
The thing about our batsmen right now is it's not as if anyone is going through a lean trot. Guys are getting 20 and 30 and 40 and getting out, which is fairly unusual for our players, ... To win Test matches you have to have those big scores made. You have to make hundreds in Test cricket, that's what it's all about. They're just not doing that right now. There's no doubt we'll sit down and talk about some of the individuals, but I must admit I'd be surprised if any changes were made.
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.
It would be nice if we could have that showdown that everyone is looking at: the Pakistani fast bowlers against all our fast bowlers. Brett certainly hasn't been ruled out yet.
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.