So there was no match winning triple century. There was no miracle. Ricky Ponting was caught Kallis bowled Peterson for just 8 in his last test innings – and Australia lost by 309 runs. The contrast to the start of Punter’s test career could not have been more stark – and not just because Mitchell Starc was opening the bowling for the baggy greens rather than Glenn McGrath, a bowler of undisputed class. The truth is that Australia are now an extremely average test team. When Ponting played his...
Indians doing England a massive favour
Punter knows where the middle of his bat is now, but what about when he’s edging forty next year? Ok. Who wants to be the first to call India’s much vaunted batting line up ‘flat track bullies’; or should that be ‘slow low dust bowl bullies? There’ll be quite a few takers after their latest debacle – this time at Sydney. However, tempting as it is to overreact to their latest humiliation – this time at the hands of Ben ‘the destroyer’ Hilfenhaus (ha!) – let’s have a bit of...
Punter should retire while the going’s good
After everything he’s won, now is the time for Ricky Ponting to head into the sunset Australia’s thrilling victory over South Africa in the second test gives Ricky Ponting a chance to do something he has never been good at: quitting. His 62 in the second innings rescued his team from a perilous situation, and although he couldn’t finish the job himself, he steadied the innings and played a valuable role in their pursuit of 310. It was one of the few highlights of what has been a...
Ponting’s record proves his captaincy was only as good as his team
He’s the guy we loved to hate. What on earth are we going to do now that Ricky Ponting has relinquished the Australian captaincy? Aussie selectors usually toss away former captains like a sweaty jockstrap, so Punter’s international career could be over. Michael Clarke’s Home & Away good looks may irk England fans somewhat, but his face will never be as irritating as Ponting’s contorted mooey. A new pantomime villain will be required. Shane Watson, anyone? However, much as we’ve loathed...
Is Captain Sensible any better than Captain Cranky?
Just because a plan has been successful doesn’t mean that another strategy wouldn’t have worked even better. The foot and mouth outbreak a few years ago was eventually contained, but Tony Blair often had his foot in his mouth during the crisis. Similarly, Australia won the third test at Perth, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they picked the right XI – maybe they would have won by more had they selected their new hero, Usman Khawaja, instead of the nervy Steve Smith? Unfortunately, the...
Captain Cranky is fan dabi dozi for England
The phrase ‘a bulldog chewing a wasp’ was made for Ricky Ponting. As England piled on the runs yesterday, the Aussie skipper was not a happy man. The metaphorical raincloud appeared above his head, he chewed his gum at an increasingly frenetic rate, and his outrageous dissent after lunch (when the third umpire refused to give Kevin Pietersen out caught behind) was as ugly as anything we’ve seen on a cricket field this winter. When Ponting trudged back into the outfield, hands on hips...
