Reaction from the Aussie presss

[Desi Cartman]

Ricky Ponting's mates circle the wagons

RICKY Ponting's former team-mates have come out in defence of the embattled cricketer, claiming he would never put himself before his country. Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist defended the Australia captain against claims he was more concerned with avoiding a suspension because of slow over rates than winning the Nagpur Test and saving the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Even New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori gave Ponting a ringing character endorsement on the eve of the Kiwis' two-Test series against Australia. "Ricky's heart, life and soul is in the captaincy of the Australian cricket team," Gilchrist said yesterday. The champion wicketkeeper-batsman said others would also be involved in the decision to rush the overs at the critical point in the match. "There's a coach (Tim Nielsen) and a vice-captain (Michael Clarke), Matty Hayden is an integral part of that team, and they would have all sat and discussed it," Gilchrist said. "Ultimately it all comes down to Ricky." However, Gilchrist would not say if he thought that it was an error not to use the front-line attack after tea in the rush to make up overs. "I don't care to make judgment whether it's the right or wrong thing to do," he said on ABC radio. Langer, who has just arrived back from the Hong Kong Sixes tournament, passionately defended his former skipper. "Ricky Ponting is one of the most selfless people and captains I have ever played with," Langer said. "I can only say what I know of the man and he is one of the most generous and the most humble men and one of the best leaders I have ever come across. He is an outstanding captain and an outstanding person. "Anyone who suggests Ricky Ponting had any ulterior motives has absolute rocks in their head and I include in that former legends of the game who have said it because they are not reading the situation properly." Ponting was criticised by former captain Allan Border, who was commentating at the time, and India legend Ravi Shastri, among others. Langer, like Gilchrist, said that the over rate was a problem the whole team needed to address. "To point the finger at the captain, who already has a dozen other things going on, is unfair and it's insanity," Langer said. Former captain Steve Waugh was not so generous, suggesting that Ponting would regret the decision to bowl Cameron White and Michael Hussey at the critical moment on the fourth day. However, he conceded that the over rates were not just the captain's problem. "There are far too many stoppages," Waugh said. "I remember when I played it was considered a badge of honour not to have a drink in a session (apart from the scheduled drinks break). And no one died from dehydration. These days there are far too many drinks breaks. It's ridiculous. But it is just not the captain's fault. It is up to coaches, referees and umpires to keep the show moving." Langer was part of the 2004 side that won the first series on Indian soil in more than three decades and says it is the hardest place to play cricket. "Tell me who wins there?" Langer said. "When we won last time it was like reaching Mount Everest in my career and I know Gilly thought the same because it is so hard to do. "Yes, they have lost the series but they are not the first team in the last 50 years who have lost there. "They went there with a younger team, with less experience, people have to put it into perspective, you would think they had lost the war. "In 2001 we went there with a great cricket team that had won 16 straight Tests and we still lost the series." Kiwi captain Vettori also endorsed Ponting. "From knowing Ricky I don't think he would have had any selfish reasons for not bowling anyone, he was just trying to get through the over rates," he said. "Most people will sit back and say they'd try to win the game but it's always different when you're put in that situation. "He's a pretty ruthless guy and I think any chance he can to get a win he'll take it. "So I suppose that's why people are sitting back here and questioning. He is a ruthless captain, a very good captain and obviously a great player." Ponting was warned by umpires at the tea break that he was nine overs behind the over rate and facing a suspension if he did not improve it, However, the side was still two overs short at the end of the day and the captain was fined 20 per cent of his match fee while the rest of the side each received a 10 per cent fine.

[cochise]

Kiwis and Saffers take aim at Aussies: http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/cricket/kiwis-join-chorus-in-baiting-australia/2008/11/12/1226318743500.html

Black Caps paceman Chris Martin said Australia was finally beatable without Warne and McGrath — citing the side's inability to dismiss India in the failed Test series — and said his side planned a similar bowling strategy used effectively by Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan to rattle the top order. "I think when you lose two once-in-a-generation players who bowl in tandem so well you're going to feel a bit of a hole there for a while," Martin said. The aggressive approach taken by India against Australia, with astounding success in the past year, seems to have sparked imitation from other suitors for the cricketing throne. South African coach Mickey Arthur said last weekend his side could finally end Australia's reign at the top. "In familiar conditions — South Africa, England and Australia — I think it's going to be us (who will succeed Australia)," Arthur said. "We certainly have the ammunition to mount a serious challenge." New Zealand is expected to go with four quicks for the opening Test in Brisbane next week; teenager Tim Southee, Iain O'Brien, Kyle Mills and Martin — who missed the Bangladesh tour with a hamstring injury. "I saw some incredible deliveries bowled (in India). The level that some of those guys — Sharma and Zaheer Khan — were bowling at, I think we need to look at ourselves and work out whether we can bowl those wicket-taking balls as well," Martin said. "We know we've got the firepower, it's a matter of stringing it together on a more day-to-day basis, which is basically what Australia does."

[Chandan]

The best article is from Shane Warne who advices Ponting to listen to his critics: Don't hang my mate Ricky yet By Shane Warne November 12, 2008 12:00am MY friend Ricky must have had an interesting plane trip home, especially knowing what the feeling was among Australian supporters, both public and media. I feel for Punter as he has been copping it from all angles, and all because he went away from what he does best - attack. But one of Rick's strengths as a person is to admit when he has made a mistake and I'm sure on the way home he relived every moment of the final Test and every decision he made throughout. His tactics surprised me - and everyone else - because he is naturally an attacker. The reason he is under pressure is it looked like he put himself in front of the team and this just isn't Punter. Should Warnie make a comeback? If you think so sign our petition Having played with him for a long time, he was one of the guys that put the team first - always. If it meant throwing his wicket away in the chase for quick runs, he would do that. And there have been previous captains who would not. I just think he got it wrong this time and I'm sure he will be a better captain for the experience. Let's not hang him. Let's encourage him and support him. I think the Kiwis are going to feel the wrath of the Australian team and, in particular, the skipper next week. Hopefully, Ricky understands where everyone's criticism is coming from, takes it on board and does not wipe people. I'm sure if he thinks it through, he could do worse than ask Ian Chappell or Allan Border out for dinner and chat about it and he might just pick up something. Ian Chappell was the biggest influence on my cricketing career and I learnt a lot about captaincy, tactics and the game off him. Allan Border taught me what it meant to play for Australia and showed me what toughness was. He was brilliant and he never gave up. Captaincy is about getting the best out of your players and understanding what makes them tick - when to give them a rocket and when to throw an arm around them and make them feel important. This comes from understanding your player and which strategy to use. Mark Taylor was an expert at this and was the best captain I played under. He was a great tactician, too. As a captain, it's not always easy to come to the right decision and get it right all the time, but it's about having a plan and being ahead of the game. Working out what bowlers work best together or who to start with after a break. This is all done on feel and the state of the game. Then when to defend and have a holding period and when to attack. If you're unsure, it's always better to attack, as Ricky does when he bats - he is the best counter-attacker in the game. If you have a sniff of victory or blood, that's when the foot goes to the throat and you give it to the opposition. There is no escape for them when it's 11 against two batsmen and the fielders swarm like flies around a leftover curry. We all know that outside of Australia, India is the toughest place to tour because the conditions are so different from anywhere else you play. To me, it is not that we lost the series but more the way we lost which is a concern for many of us former players. The Australian side to me looks like it's lacking a bit of spark. But having said that, India can have that effect on you. The Australian team will be hurting and it will come out firing in Brisbane and I will be looking for that spark. Knowing Ricky as I do, when he is challenged, both individually and as captain - as he was after the 2005 Ashes series - is when he stands up. I'm expecting some big things from the blade and his captaincy starting in Brisbane next week.

[Desi Cartman]

People at work said "its not ponting's fault entirely.. its just that we are not the best anymore, its similar to how West Indies became an ordinary team in the 90s.. "

[Desi Cartman]

Kiwis join chorus in baiting Australia

IT APPEARS Australia's No. 1 crown is not only slipping but everyone is after it, judging by the recent approach taken by rivals to highlighting shortcomings within the once flawless squad. Even New Zealand, ranked seventh in Test cricket, has taken aim at the team's vulnerability without former bowling gladiators Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, echoing sentiments already used by India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies this year. The days of revering the mighty Australian side are long gone, in its place a swarm of potshots and direct challenges issued by emboldened competitors. Black Caps paceman Chris Martin said Australia was finally beatable without Warne and McGrath — citing the side's inability to dismiss India in the failed Test series — and said his side planned a similar bowling strategy used effectively by Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan to rattle the top order. "I think when you lose two once-in-a-generation players who bowl in tandem so well you're going to feel a bit of a hole there for a while," Martin said. The aggressive approach taken by India against Australia, with astounding success in the past year, seems to have sparked imitation from other suitors for the cricketing throne. South African coach Mickey Arthur said last weekend his side could finally end Australia's reign at the top. "In familiar conditions — South Africa, England and Australia — I think it's going to be us (who will succeed Australia)," Arthur said. "We certainly have the ammunition to mount a serious challenge." New Zealand is expected to go with four quicks for the opening Test in Brisbane next week; teenager Tim Southee, Iain O'Brien, Kyle Mills and Martin — who missed the Bangladesh tour with a hamstring injury. "I saw some incredible deliveries bowled (in India). The level that some of those guys — Sharma and Zaheer Khan — were bowling at, I think we need to look at ourselves and work out whether we can bowl those wicket-taking balls as well," Martin said. "We know we've got the firepower, it's a matter of stringing it together on a more day-to-day basis, which is basically what Australia does." Ponting's declaration that his side intends to remain unbeaten during this summer after the 2-0 loss to India was expected by Martin. :D "It's fighting talk that's always going to be there before a Test series," he said. "I think they'll definitely have a few personal points to prove."

[Willow_on_fire]

The players performance ratings - Aussie perspective: http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/cricket/cricket-ranks-how-players-performed-in-india/2008/11/11/1226318648415.html

good ratings...:two_thumbs_up:

[cochise]

Excellent article: http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/377894.html

Why ugly can be beautiful The cricket in the Nagpur Test was variously decried as being defensive and unimaginative. But who said Test matches are about attacking all the time? November 13, 2008 Day three at Nagpur: made the thrilling bits more thrilling © AFP The well-wishers are out and about. They are growing in number and getting louder. They say they love Test cricket, but they fear for Test cricket, because the kids are watching a new kind of cricket and Test cricket is under threat. And whenever there is a slow day's play, or a tense day, or a day that's a bit ugly, when wickets are scarce and boundaries seldom spotted, they fret. They start to wish that the thing they love would become more like the thing that threatens it. On the fourth morning in Nagpur the well-wishers got so noisy and numerous that you could not jump out of their path. The day before, bowlers had bowled defensive lines and batsmen had not noticeably tried to thwart them. So the well-wishers were in the papers, on websites, in your headphones, craving "adventurous" captains, "exciting" captains, less "boring" captains. Captains, they said, had a duty. There was well-meaning talk of rulebooks needing fiddling with, and self-absorbed men, and stakes being driven through a sport's heart. And while we took all this in, the cricket went on. Jason Krejza was landing high, big spinners wide of the stumps, hoping to clip the off bail, which is a pretty daring thing to do. Virender Sehwag was tilting back and swatting these balls through or over the covers, against the spin, which is highly dangerous. How long could this last? It could not last, surely. It lasted a couple of hours. Then India lost six wickets in a clatter, Sehwag finally nicked one, the Test match was anybody's, and the people seeking excitement and adventure were ransacking their laptop cases in search of sedatives. Test cricket can be like that: so slow, tense and ugly that you can't stand to look, then so thrilling and unexpected that you don't dare look away. Without the slow, tense and ugly bits, the thrilling bits would not be so thrilling. Those six Indian wickets put Australia four wickets shy of batting again. If they could bundle those four wickets out quickly, they would have relatively few runs to chase and relative aeons to get them. That's when Ricky Ponting, the captain, began obsessing about the slow over-rate. Panic struck: unless he hurried up proceedings, he might get suspended. So he brought on a pie-chucker or two and blew his team's momentum. Test cricket can do that too. It can turn a gum-chomping Tasmanian streetfighter who has cricket in his bones into an addled worrywart who cannot see past the next five minutes. Passages slow, tense, ugly, thrilling and unexpected give way to moments bewildering and incomprehensible. And out of bewilderment and incomprehension come bouts of self-examination, as the game wrestles with itself over its direction, its well-being. Test cricket, an intricate contest that goes for nearly a week, is richer for all of this. No other sport quite does it. Test cricket thrives on it. It has been happening for a century and more. Yet the well-wishers have screeched themselves hoarse all Indian summer, lecturing the captains to do their duty in the name of entertainment, in the name of Test cricket's salvation. Alan Ross, journalist and poet, once wrote: "Captains of Test teams consider themselves to have two responsibilities. One is to lead their countries to victory, and, secondly, failing that, to avoid defeat. No one could possibly quarrel with this. At no stage does the obligation to entertain… come into it. Nor should it. Once Test cricket ceases to be wholly competitive, in the purest sense, it would lose all intensity, and decay." Ross wrote that after the 1962-63 Ashes series. Slow, tense, ugly days were in high supply that summer too, although Ross found plenty about them to enjoy. Next, he had this to say about the coverage of cricket in Australia's newspapers: "Every quote or remark, every incident no matter how trivial, is likely to be inflated out of all proportion… A casual observer, flicking through the papers, might be forgiven for thinking all Test cricketers are sado-masochists, riddled with resentment, intent on boring at all costs." The words ring truer now than 46 years ago. Blame rests with the editors, you feel, more than the writers, but the two big publishing houses are as bad as each other and the ABC not much better. Always they hunger for the story. A day's play cannot be the story. A story needs shock. Players must throw bat at ball, or else at each other, or where is the story ? And so every tiny flash of heat, every word or frown exchanged between batsman and bowler, just the normal rough stuff of Test cricket, of any cricket, is sensationalised. You wonder what the sport sections truly care more about: Test cricket's salvation, or having something to blow up on their full-colour, tabloid-size front page. Always the newspapers hunger for the story. A day's play cannot be the story. A story needs shock. Players must throw bat at ball, or else at each other, or where is the story? And so every tiny flash of heat, every word or frown exchanged between batsman and bowler, just the normal rough stuff of Test cricket, of any cricket, is sensationalised Five weeks of absorbing Test cricket have just finished, if only the well-wishers had cared to really look. The two teams were good, not great, and evenly matched. Often this is the most fun to watch. In the Australian team alone, mediocre quick bowlers strived to find a line that meant they would not get slogged. Athletic and reliable outfielders mucked up simple catches. Pressure, the prospect of three more hours under the sun, made them do that. When byes galloped away from the wicketkeeper's grasp, it was tempting to believe that his furrowed brow was due not to disappointment but to the wail of a million Queenslanders echoing in his ears: "Chris Hartley wouldn't have stuffed that up." Again and again the selectors picked three specialist bowlers, five specialist batsmen and insisted on calling it an XI. The pitches, far from spoiling festivities, helped make them. Wickets difficult for both batting and bowling almost always produce more engrossing cricket than the 22 yards of over-rolled tarmac Australians have grown used to. Perhaps the most interesting day was the one that stirred outrage, when the bowlers aimed balls wide and the batsmen did not try to hit them. No one, tantalisingly, knew who would crack first. We learnt a little that morning about Mike Hussey. His batting average puts him, with a dozen runs to spare, in the genius category, yet when unorthodoxy is required he can look clueless, and he has not so far mastered the knack of lifting his own tempo when accompanied by a slowcoach up the other end. All this, the well-wishers missed: 166 runs in a day must equal boring, mustn't it? In Australian minds, no Test cricket could be finer than that which unfolded when West Indies came to play in 1960-61. That freewheeling summer, runs rattled along at the equivalent of 2.5 every six-ball over; in the five slow, tense and ugly weeks just gone, they accrued at 3.2. Two more champagne series, the 1981 and 2005 Ashes clashes, involved run-rates of 2.7 and 3.7. It tells us nothing much. Test cricket's charms have little to do with attack-attack-attack. They never have done. To survive, Test cricket has to look like Test cricket. Well-wishers should remember that trying to change the thing you love is one sure way of wrecking it. Christian Ryan is a writer based in Melbourne

[cochise]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/cricket/be-the-punter-not-the-punted/2008/11/14/1226318935536.html

RICKY Ponting needs to reconsider his approach to captaincy. Otherwise Australia will lose to South Africa and England in the next nine months. Ever since the SCG Travesty he has been a muted figure. Shaken by Anil Kumble's damning comment, stunned by Judge Hanson's inevitable conclusions, stirred by agitated senior players, troubled by Cricket Australia's lack of support, he lost confidence in himself. Perhaps he could learn from Mahendra Dhoni, a man from a similar background. Responding to criticisms of his tactics in Nagpur, India's new captain did not exactly say "get stuffed!" but that was the gist of it. From the outset, he understood that critics and captains serve different masters. But Australia cannot recover until the mistakes made in Nagpur are admitted. Loyalists argue that too much has been made of Ponting turning off the gas straight after the tea-break. What utter nonsense! The Indians were quaking in their boots. Amit Mishra was putting on his pads. Australia was one wicket away from chasing 280 and possibly retaining the trophy, a mighty achievement. It was an extraordinary blunder. Nor was it the only error made towards the end of that match. Brad Haddin threw his glove at an escaping ball, thereby incurring a five-run penalty. Michael Clarke did not intercept a shy at the stumps because he was tying up his boot laces. Next day Clarke was pushed up the batting order despite feeling "generally unwell". He had looked haggard before the match. He batted with a runner. Three top-order batsmen were run out, two of them recklessly. The chase itself was poorly constructed. And it goes further. Australia's second-best bowler was omitted. The touring party's senior spinner was ignored for three matches. When he was chosen, Jason Krejza took 12 admittedly expensive wickets whereupon the tourists said he had improved a heck of a lot in the last week. Put that miracle worker on a plane. Cameron White was played out of position, and his cricket suffered. Australia grizzled about events on the field. Annoyed to be cast as the game's foremost sledgers, the current mob run to the umpires. They do not understand the bemusement this causes in opposing camps. Not that everything was the think tank's fault. Australia had little luck with the toss. It was hardly Ponting's fault that his main strike bowler was off colour, or that his most dominating batsman could not get going. Moreover, the Australian captain deserves credit for showing sportsmanship in defeat. And some players made strides. Simon Katich batted capably and Shane Watson produced his most incisive burst on that fourth day, a spell suggesting that he might hold a place as a bowling all-rounder. Despite these ticks, Ponting, his coach and the selectors must acknowledge that Australia ignored the basics of the game. Even the field settings were contrived, with men placed for miscued drives as opposed to edges. Of course, the pitches were partly to blame. In recent years Ponting has spoken out against placid decks produced by curators instructed to make sure the match lasts five days. It is a campaign worth pursuing. Hopefully, the tracks this summer will have some spice. Nevertheless, Ponting often seemed to be captaining by formula as opposed to instinct. In his younger days he had a strong grasp of the mood of a match and an urgent desire to intervene. He was a leader, urging his players along, suggesting ruses to his captain. Moreover, his ideas were often astute. As a batsman, too, he hooked and clipped and seized the initiative. His only weak point was a hot temper and a fondness for grog, a combination that periodically put him in strife. To his credit, Ponting confronted and corrected his wild ways. He did not blame anyone except himself. From that moment, his rise was inevitable. Honesty and ambition command respect. But in controlling his furies, he lost part of himself, a part he needs to recover or else his captaincy is doomed. Most particularly, he needs to restore his feel for the game, and put it alongside his sportsmanship. Above all, he needs to lead his men away from the resentments of the Sydney Test, which was a disaster for Australian cricket. Ponting and his senior players pursued a case they could not win over an incident they had initiated, thereby turning a sharp-tongued opponent into a national hero. An aspiring leader was described as "an unreliable witness". A lady with the Order of Australia asked the police to marshal the areas in front of the Australian rooms. A dignified visiting captain smoking the peace pipe was disregarded, a man whose side was nursing a searing sense of injustice after suffering several abysmal decisions. An experienced player admitted that he had snicked a ball. Afterwards experienced players publicly castigated past Test captains. It was all too tense and testy. It's hard to imagine any of it happening had Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath been in the rooms. Senior players can make or break a side. Ponting and company are entitled to their opinions about these issues but must not be bogged down by them. Alas, the after-effects have been allowed to linger. For his part the Australian captain has become cautious. As much could be told from his anxiety about the over rate in Nagpur. In this moment of all moments the spirit of the game preyed on his mind. Everything he knew was rejected. A priceless opportunity was missed. Now the Australian captain needs to respond to his inner voices and ignore the rest. He has plenty of character but spark has been lost. In Nagpur, Dhoni was ruthless and fearless and focused. Yet he did not cross the line. He copped various baggings and responded by putting his point of view. Ponting still has time to put on his proper skin, with its audacity and involvement. He must not merely captain the team, he must lead it.

[DomainK]

Above all' date=' he needs to lead his men away from the resentments of the Sydney Test, which was a disaster for Australian cricket. Ponting and his senior players pursued a case they could not win over an incident they had initiated, thereby turning a sharp-tongued opponent into a national hero. An aspiring leader was described as "an unreliable witness". A lady with the Order of Australia asked the police to marshal the areas in front of the Australian rooms. A dignified visiting captain smoking the peace pipe was disregarded, a man whose side was nursing a searing sense of injustice after suffering several abysmal decisions. An experienced player admitted that he had snicked a ball. Afterwards experienced players publicly castigated past Test captains. It was all too tense and testy. It's hard to imagine any of it happening had Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath been in the rooms. Senior players can make or break a side.[/quote'] Very well written indeed. Ponting needs to wake up to the reality. The fairy tale is over.

[cochise]

Vettori say's it like it is: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24667087-2882,00.html

NEW Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has sparked a tense Trans-Tasman showdown by naming Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden as cricket's most aggressive nigglers. And Vettori ruffled more feathers when he claimed his opposite number Ponting was often "spoiling for a fight". He also insisted he was not surprised last summer's series between Australia and India had descended into a bitter slanging match. "If a team was going to play the game hard and stand up to everything the Aussies hurled at them, there was going to be trouble," Vettori writes in his new book, Turning Point. "I don't think many of us were surprised about the so-called 'Monkeygate' affair. "There are always a few individuals in every team who overstate their position or overplay their importance. Ponting led his team very aggressively and probably hasn't often had to face an opposition team that's been just as aggressive in response. "Add to the mix Matthew Hayden and Symonds - who are always at you on the field - and you've probably got the three most overtly aggressive players in world cricket. "They like to get under the skin of their opponents, whereas the other guys in the Aussie team just get on with the game." Vettori's comments are significant because most cricket observers expect a depleted New Zealand side will be like lambs to the slaughter against an Australian team baying for blood. For the past decade, Australia has had a reputation for being "captain killers" with its ploy of making touring skippers the target of some verbal fireworks. But Vettori, who has taken over from 10-year captain Stephen Fleming, has turned the tables and clearly wants to fight fire with fire, starting with the first Test at the Gabba on Thursday. He has singled out Ponting, who returned from India last week with his captaincy under siege, for special attention. Vettori remembers the bitter controversy that erupted the last time New Zealand was here, with Kiwi coach John Bracewell questioning Shaun Tait's action. Trans-Tasman relations plummeted and Vettori wrote that Ponting often went looking for a verbal fight. "There was another incident with Ponting after we said a few things to Brad Haddin when we believed he was running on the wicket," Vettori said. "There were a few heated words exchanged and when I later went to the press conference an Australian reporter asked me whether something had happened in the middle and I remember saying, 'Not really. It's just guys running on the wicket but that happens in every single game of cricket'. "That seemed fine but Ponting, as was the case with his treatment of the Indians, seemed to be spoiling for a fight and the next day we had to read a blow-by-blow account in the papers of his version. "Personally, I've always been a person who thinks that disputes, altercations and even just conversations should stay on the field and that you should never let them go too far."

[Desi Cartman]

another book .. even vettori is releasing a book now :D