John Buchanan backs Ricky Ponting to lead Australia
Former Australian coach John Buchanan has backed the under pressure Australian captain Ricky Ponting to lead his team to a fifth straight World Cup final which will be played in the subcontinent next month, starting from 19th February.
Buchanan was head coach of the national team and helped his team win two of the last three World Cups they have won. The former coach stated that the Australian team is still ranked number 1 in One Day International (ODI) cricket and they will be strong
contenders in the mega event.
Buchanan claimed that the Ashes loss will not hamper his team’s chances. He stated, “The World Cup is a one-off tournament and it really doesn't matter what happens in Australia or other lead-up games elsewhere around the world. The conditions they will
experience will be different; they will be facing new teams every third day, so it's now just about what is required to win the World Cup.”
Australia suffered a humiliating 3-1 defeat against England in the Ashes and the players have been criticised a lot for their dismal performance. Most of the criticism was made on the Australian captain Ricky Ponting who was below par in the series.
Although there was a serious dip in Ponting’s batting form, Buchanan said that the veteran Australian batsman will come out of all the issues.
“He's the best man for the job as long as physically he maintains his skills -- there is no question of his batting ability. He has been allowed to take on way too much in this so-called rebuilding phase. His principal skills are in and around the team,
leading on the field and leading with the bat.” said Buchanan.
The stylish Australian batsman sustained an injury during the Perth test which http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 won and was doubtful for the next match but he decided to take a risk and took part in the next match despite his injury.
The risk proved to be too much for Ponting as his injury got worse and he had to undergo a surgery. Ponting was out of action soon after that and he will be hoping to recover in-time before the upcoming ICC World Cup 2011.
Commenting on the World Cup chances, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
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