Ponting-Lee Spat ?

[kooljatt]

Brett Lee didn't bowl a single over during the first session. did u guys spot anything? There was an animated argument between Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee before lunch, presumably something to do with the fact that the leader of the pace pack wasn't required to bowl until after everyone has finished their roti and butter chicken. And that simmering rage seemed to afflict the batting as well. Source F***info (http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/content/current/story/374744.html)

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Wouls love it, if there is something like that really happening... Its good for us and World Cricket

[flamy]

Mental Disintegration folks... http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cricket/now-lees-cricketing-heart-needs-tending/2008/10/20/1224351156908.html?page=2 Now Lee's cricketing heart needs tending Peter Roebuck October 21, 2008 TWENTY minutes before lunch, Brett Lee's fragility was laid bare before the cricketing public. By 20 minutes after tea his exasperation seemed to reach beyond personal concerns and to reflect the fraught state of the entire side. As much could be deduced from the sight of Matthew Hayden swiping at his first ball, batting belligerently and stalking off in high dudgeon. He did not bat aggressively. He batted angrily. Simon Katich was no better whilst Ricky Ponting once again fell foul of his nemesis. Even Michael Hussey, Mr Dependable, played a reckless stroke. But then he had twice been warned for running on the wicket during a surprise stint with the ball. Once the brain goes the rest will soon follow. It's been a long time since the challenges facing Australian cricket seemed as formidable as they did at the moment, with Hayden and Katich in the pavilion and a mountain still to climb The row between the team's fastest leather flinger and a beleaguered captain was the first hint that all was not well in the visiting camp. Ordinarily the most good-natured of fast bowlers, Lee had retained his equanimity at the start of the fourth day as his captain threw the ball to Shane Watson and Cameron White, a pair with nine Test wickets between them. He had held himself in check as Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle followed the newcomers to the crease. He knew he had taken only three wickets in the series, besides which he is not interested in the seniority stakes. And so he smiled and encouraged his comrades. Still, the neglect had been a blow. Lee knew how much a raw attack depended on him. He had bowled badly in 2005 and Australia had lost the Ashes. But since Glenn McGrath's retirement he has given the team its cutting edge. Strong, fast and resourceful, he had taken numerous wickets and commanded universal respect. Alas, his bowling had deserted him in India. He had bowled without conviction, plan or accuracy. Everything was broken, it seemed, except his cricketing heart. And now that was under strain. It was not until Hussey was introduced and White was summoned for a second spell that Lee cried enough. By chance his captain was fielding a few yards away and Lee took the chance to remind him that he was fit, eager and had in his time claimed a few scalps - more than the rest put together, as a matter of fact. Ordinarily Lee is not the complaining type. It was just that he was feeling vulnerable. Bereft of luck, short of wickets and in emotional turmoil, he felt he was not getting support when he most needed it. Ponting may have seen the matter in a different light. Conceivably he was trying to protect a friend and ally from further blows to a wounded psyche. Certainly he did not mean to snub him, let alone teach him a lesson. Both parties are well past that. Moreover, Lee was nursing two stitches in his right hand. All the more reason to spare him. But good intentions alone have never been enough to prevent argument. Ponting made one mistake, a fact he must have recognised the instant Lee's grizzles reached his ears. He had not put an arm around his struggling strike force to explain his thoughts. It was an understandable oversight. A captain arrives at a ground with 50 matters on his mind. Something is liable to get missed. Also, he was himself feeling the pinch. A captain whose bowlers are getting a flogging, whose fieldsmen are giving away overthrows, whose all-rounder had gone fishing, and whose team is losing is a camel waiting for a final straw. In the heat of the moment Ponting responded to Lee's niggle not with a sally but a riposte. Doubtless he felt that his authority had been undermined. And he was still miffed that Virender Sehwag had survived a clear-cut edge to the keeper. Had not half of India screamed when his mob stood its ground in Sydney? Actually, the players were not responsible for that, but boiling, steaming brain cells know no such niceties. Not long afterwards, Gautam Gambhir's controlled innings came to an end, whereupon captain and paceman renewed their discussion, with Ponting again making his case emphatically. Eventually the players left for lunch keeping their distance. Happily relations were restored in the interval. After all, it takes more than a spat to rent asunder a strong friendship. At the heart of the stink was Lee's inability to take wickets when he needed them most. Arriving with his life in disarray, he needed the reassurance of the rooms and success on the field. Instead he had encountered lifeless tracks. Instead he had been outbowled by his adversaries. It never rains but it pours. After lunch Lee took his turn and claimed the wicket of Sourav Ganguly. But nerves remain frayed. The state of the pitch was not the problem. The team's state of mind was the problem. And so the disintegration continued. ================================================================ :finger::finger:

[flamy]

Moar!!!!!!!!!! http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24524567-5001505,00.html Ricky Ponting-Brett Lee exchange typifies deteriorating mood of tourists Malcolm Conn, Mohali | October 20, 2008 AUSTRALIA's rapidly deteriorating tour of India has been marred by an on-field confrontation between Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee. hayden Matt Hayden walks head bowed after being dismissed Picture: Graham Crouch The acrimonious exchange came on a day when India charged towards a massive victory in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Match referee Chris Broad investigated the agitated send-off bowler Harbhajan Singh and several Indian fielders gave Matthew Hayden as Australia’s batting began to capitulate. :orderorder: :cantstop::cantstop: The fast fading world champions will resume on the final morning in a seemingly hopeless position of 5-141 at stumps after being set a historically impossible victory target of 516. Vice-captain Michael Clarke was unbeaten on 42 at the close of play with Brad Haddin on 37. The highest successful run chase is 7-418 by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua five years ago. It is the most undeniable sign yet that the invincible aura of this once mighty side has been wiped away by a string of retiring champions and underperforming stars. Showing a very public lack of faith in his struggling spearhead, Ponting refused to bowl Lee during the morning session on the fourth day, prompting a prolonged protest from the paceman and an animated response from his captain. It was a precursor to a clatter of wickets later in the day as Australia lost 5-9, collapsing to 5-58. Australia’s innings began in bizarre circumstances when a struggling Hayden skied the first ball, from Zaheer Khan, just over mid-off for two. Hayden continued a poor series when given out leg before wicket for 29 from just 20 balls, then took exception to the send-off he received from Harbhajan and some of his team-mates, gesturing to square leg umpire Rudi Koertzen as he left the field. (what hell mayte? It's not as if I wanted to be here... :fishing: ) :hehe: Simon Katich went in the same over, slicing a ball from Harbhajan to Sachin Tendulkar at point to be caught for 20. Harbhajan had 3-3 when Mike Hussey (1) was leg before wicket pulling, Ponting (2) was bowled by a magnificent delivery from fast bowler Ishant Sharma which cut back and Shane Watson (2) was leg before wicket for the same bowler. Before lunch Ponting used all his bowlers except Lee as opening batsman Gautam Gambhir (104) made his first century against Australia and his second in 19 Tests. He and Virender Sehwag (90) added 182 to set up a run spree which saw acting captain MS Dhoni (68 not out) promote himself before declaring at 3-314. Ponting even called on the very occasional medium pace of Hussey before Lee. :idea: Hussey had bowled just 11 overs in 26 previous Tests without taking a wicket. When the captain brought modest spinner Cameron White back for a second spell shortly before lunch Lee, fielding at mid-off, made it clear he was not happy with being ignored. :argh::argh::argh: Ponting walked across from cover in what because an increasingly animated conversation as the captain stood with his arms out and his palms up. (we is to be practicing :bhangra: ) When White claimed the wicket of Gambhir caught at mid-off, Ponting tried to talk to Lee :knuddel: in the team huddle that gathered around catcher Hussey. But Lee kept walking away :creep: from Ponting in scenes reminiscent of the clash between then captain Allan Border and his fast bowler Craig McDermott :playingball: during a county match on the 1993 Ashes tour. On that occasion Border yelled after his paceman: “Don’t walk away from me or you’ll be on the next plane home.” It is doubtful Ponting used that line with his only experienced bowler in this Test but their animated conversation :motz::hmpf: continued when play resumed and White prepared to bowl his next ball. Lee came on to bowl the first over after lunch but it made no difference to India’s rapid run-scoring. The paceman is the fourth most successful bowler in Australian history with 292 wickets yet has been a major disappointment on this tour with just four wickets in the two Tests at the worst average – 59.25. Lee finished with innings figures of 1-61 and match figures of 2-147. His wicket was a skied slog from Sourav Ganguly (27) to a wide ball which was caught at point by Michael Clarke not all that long before Dhoni declared. Peter Siddle in his debut Test took 4-176 for the match playing in place of the injured Stuart Clark while White, the modest leg-spinner playing his second Test, has four wickets at 51.75 for the series. Mitchell Johnson is Australia’s leading-wicket taker in the two Tests with eight at 31.25, It is not the first time Ponting has ignored one of his fast bowlers when he has under-performed. During the third Test of the 2005 Ashes series in Manchester he used a struggling Jason Gillespie for just four of 61.5 overs in England’s second innings, before he was dropped. Australia cannot afford to drop Lee, 32 next month, given the attack’s lack of experience. He is in his 70th Test, yet there will be an interesting selection dilemma should Stuart recover from an elbow injury in time to play the third Test in Delhi, beginning in eight days. Siddle would be the obvious player to be dropped and yet he has clearly out-bowled Lee in this match. Johnson (11 Tests), Watson (5), White (2) and Siddle (1) have just 19 Tests between them. Lee has had a tough time of things lately. His distressing marriage break-up in August cost the usually jovial and good-natured fast bowler valuable preseason preparation and there were concerns going into this series that he was underdone. :mama: =============================================================== :marchmellow::marchmellow::marchmellow::marchmellow::marchmellow:

[fineleg]

i hope lee gets upset and quits the tour and flies back to Aus That will leave Punter stranded :thumbs_up:

[flamy]

http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=125601

[Cricketics]

loving this.. hope haydoz also slap punter.. and border also slap punter...and hope bhajji invites punter for lungar

[Nova]

This is headline news in the major newspapers in Australia: http://ahh-ha.blogspot.com/2008/10/aussie-cricket-headlines-today.html :--D

[flamy]

loving this.. hope haydoz also slap punter.. and border also slap punter...and hope bhajji invites punter for lungar

:D:D:D

[Kohum]

MASHALLAH - they has been disintegrated !!

[h4te]

loving this.. hope haydoz also slap punter.. and border also slap punter...and hope bhajji invites punter for lungar

u forgot Ishant... .....o wait, he already bi tch slapped him :giggle:

[hindu-Stan]

ohh.. Aus are really pissed off now. They want to win a test match without genuine spinner. It is near to impossibility.

[Dravid]

india has officially efed up aus ur welcome world :D

[vadodaravictor]

Divide & Conquer:finger: ..take that Aussies

[Fontaine]

Now Brett, multiply your misery by 10 every year. Because that's what every Indian fast bowler has to go through every year when they play half of their test matches at home. It's all well and good when the likes of Harmison, Steyn, Lee etc are regarded as the world's best test match bowler and India is regarded as a fast bowling back water country. But these guys have crumbled when playing test match cricket in the remorseless heat, humidity and flat pitches that their Indian counterparts grew up on. Harmison is next. I can't wait till this fraudulent, no heart, coward tours India. Then we'll see how things stack up on the over hyped England bowling attack compared to our own.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Now Brett, multiply your misery by 10 every year. Because that's what every Indian fast bowler has to go through every year when they play half of their test matches at home. It's all well and good when the likes of Harmison, Steyn, Lee etc are regarded as the world's best test match bowler and India is regarded as a fast bowling back water country. But these guys have crumbled when playing test match cricket in the remorseless heat, humidity and flat pitches that their Indian counterparts grew up on. Harmison is next. I can't wait till this fraudulent, no heart, coward tours India. Then we'll see how things stack up on the over hyped England bowling attack compared to our own.

Dont think so.. Harmisson may retire after winning the Stanford 20/20 for 20.