Ponting’s captaincy at stake as England look to take the urn
The third Ashes Test between Australia and England at Perth will decide the future of current Australian captain, Ricky Ponting. Ponting is on the verge of losing the third Ashes series in a row. The next five days are crucial for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and their captain
as the outcome will determine Ponting’s future.
The Kangaroos have to beat England at the WACA in order to retain and possibly regain the Ashes. In the 120-year Ashes history, Punter might become the first captain to lose the urn thrice, if the visitors claim the ongoing Test series.
Currently, England hold the edge as they are leading the series by a margin of 1-0 with three more matches to be played. Their lead in the series came as a result of their convincing victory at the Adelaide Oval, where they trounced the home team by an innings
and 71 runs.
The Australian skipper knows that his future as a captain depends upon the result of tomorrow’s game but when asked whether he feels his captaincy is under threat, Ponting said,
“Probably not a decision for me to make. I don't pick myself as captain so, look, in all honestly, I haven't thought about that at all”.
In the ongoing series, the Australian great has struggled to make an impact with the bat. He has only made 70 runs in his four innings. It is not only about his captaincy, but also there is pressure on him as a batsman.
"The decision's completely out of my hands. At the end of the day, I'll do my best to make sure we're on a winning end this week and I'll do my best as a player to make sure I score runs and lead the team the best way possible. Then the powers that be will
make those decisions I guess at the end of the series, or after this Test match."
England has never won a Test series in Australia, since 1986/87, when Mike Gatting's men gathered for a cause to rattle Australia. Adding to it, this is the first time that England has earned a lead in the Ashes in Australia. The visitors will also look
to improve their record in Australia by beating them in the third Test at Perth.
Meanwhile, in 18 years, Australia has lost only once in a series and that was against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760.
Ponting has been the most successful captain in the history of Test match cricket as he has racked up 47 wins in 75 matches. Previously, he boasted on some of the greatest players in the history of the game. Since the retirement of star players like Shane
Warne and Glenn McGrath, Australia’s graph has come down.
Going into the third Ashes Test, the home team has made a couple of changes. Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus are set to return after being axed for the Adelaide Test.
Moreover, Steven Smith has been included in the final eleven to face England. The all-rounder will play as a front line spinner and his batting skills will be backed up by his gritty leg-spin bowling.
The WACA wicket is said to be a green top, something that might add a few smiles in the Australian camp considering they only managed to take 16 wickets in the previous two matches. On the other hand though, the likes of James Anderson, Steven Finn and the
master off-spinner; Graeme Swann, won't be too unhappy with that news as well.
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