Botha expects Ponting to counter South African pace batteries – Cricket News Update
South African all-rounder, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Vernon-Philander-c2753 in the upcoming Test series.
Botha, who signed as captain for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Australia-c844 ahead of the Australian domestic summer, has seen Punter in dazzling form in the ongoing Sheffield Shield competition and believes that the old hand is ready to reproduce the goods for his side in weeks to come.
Ponting has long desired to get back to his best after struggling for form for the best part of 2010 and 2011. He was forced to relinquish his captaincy following the team’s 50-over World Cup exit but returned to his best in last year’s home summer against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, scoring a double-century, a century, along with three scores of fifty, in the four-match series.
He kept his form intact for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in the three-match Test series, before taking on Sri Lanka.
Having maintained his craving to get his team back to the top of the Test ranking, and further aid them in reclaiming the Ashes, Ponting’s current scoring form will be seen as a real positive for the national side.
While admiring the potency of the Proteas attack, Botha still feels that Ponting will be ready for the challenge, owing to his ability to play pace well.
"He's always played pace bowling really well. The three (South African) quicks are all different. That's a challenge within itself.
"Steyn swings it at good pace, Morkel gets a lot of bounce and Philander's got a lot of skill - he moves the ball around both ways. I think that's the biggest challenge for him - not so much out-and-out pace," Botha said.
"The way he's playing now, you can't count him out and you can't look past him. He's obviously putting in big runs and that's great to see. It's great to see the hunger that he's got at his age with everything he's done in his career," Botha said.
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