Ponting rules out Somerset owing to exhaustion – Cricket News Update
Australia’s veteran batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RT-Ponting-c2377, has ruled out any possibility of a stint with Somerset, citing mental and physical exhaustion as the reasons behind his move.
“I haven't entertained the idea at all of playing county cricket this year,” Ponting said. His name was first linked to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Somerset-c843 earlier this month when director of cricket, Brian Rose, claimed that lining Ponting up as an overseas player was an option he
would like to explore.
“I've got to look at what my best preparation is, post the West Indies, and that will probably be to have a couple of months off.”
The 37-year-old started the year off on a good note, with a stellar performance in the Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in January, during which he smashed a double century (221) and registered scores such as 62, 60, and 134.
However, the Commonwealth Bank series that followed saw him falling into a batting slump, and his contributions included scores such as 2, 1, 6, and 7. He was abruptly axed from the Aussie ODI squad, with selectors hinting that his One-Day career was over.
Despite this, the right-hander expressed the desire to continue with Test cricket, and take part in the Ashes 2013 campaign. He rejoined his state side, the Tasmanian Tigers, for whom he had debuted in 1992 as a 17-year-old, in order to maintain his fitness.
While the Tigers were unable to win either the Ryobi Cup, or the Sheffield Shield, Ponting did see a welcome return to form – he racked up an unbeaten 75 in the Ryobi One-Day Cup final against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Australia-c844, and contributed scores such as 130 and 111 during
the Shield fixtures.
His efforts in the domestic circuit were successful in catching the eyes of the selectors, who included him in the squad for the Test leg of Australia’s ongoing tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760. With the call-back obtained, Ponting aims to spend some time relaxing, and
resting up in order to maintain his fitness for the upcoming Australian summer.
“It's been a hard 12 months for me personally and around my cricket,” he explained. “I had to train harder and work harder on my game ... I need to have a chance to refresh and recharge my batteries and get a solid pre-season under my belt before the Australian
summer.”
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