http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RT-Ponting-c2377 backs James Pattinson to deliver in absence of Pat Cummins – Cricket News Update
Australian cricket team’s bowling resources are depleting fast as injuries have sidelined their prime players. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RJ-Harris-c2330 are some of the big names missing from the Australian bowling brigade.
Australia’s injury woes deepened when Pat Cummins, the 18-year-old speedster, was declared unfit to play and has been ruled out of the forthcoming Test series against India. Cummins suffered from a heel bruising after making his
debut against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757, in which the pacer took seven wickets and bagged the Man of the Match honours.
Ricky Ponting, the Australian batsman, is hopeful of a good show against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 despite playing a second string bowling attack in the second Test match at Hobart, starting from Friday, December 9.
Ponting said, “It's disappointing for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Iftikhar-Ali-Khan-Pataudi-Nawab-of-c64075 and it's disappointing for Australian cricket that we've got someone that burst onto the scene like he did in South Africa on the sidelines for what looks like a reasonably extended period
of time now.”
Cummins did not play in the first match against New Zealand and in his absence, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Pattinson-c1653 stepped up to guide the Aussie to victory. Ponting backs the 21-year-old to deliver in the absence of Cummins once again.
The former skipper of Australian team continued, “We'll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he can get back into bowling as soon as possible and that he's some sort of chance of taking part in the India Test series. (But)
along with James Pattinson last week, we now know that we've got guys there that are highly talented and that have got the skills and the ability to take that next step very, very quickly.”
Ponting’s place in the Australian roster has been in jeopardy. The elegant middle-order batsman has not been in best of forms in the last 12 months and has received criticism from former cricketers, who urge him to retire from
international cricket if he can’t contribute.
The 36-year-old has played in seven matches during the 2011 season and has scored a mere 315 runs at an average of 24.23, as opposed to his career average of 52.64. Ponting’s lacklustre performance in 2011 has seen him slip down
to number three in all time run getters in Tests. India’s http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Dravid-c2229 (13094) has now overtaken Ponting (12635) as the second highest scorer in the 5-day format.
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