Ricky Ponting disappointed but says he is best to lead http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746
Despite all the criticism coming his way after the 0-2 thrashing at the hand of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, Australian captain Ricky Ponting has said that he is the best player in the current Australian side to captain the team. Ponting’s captaincy came in for a criticism after
they fell to the number five position in Test match cricket and go into the Ashes later this year a notch below England in the ICC rankings.
Earlier, former team-mate Shane Warne had questioned the fields that he had afforded to his off-spinner Nathan Hauritz while Geoff Lawson had said that it was time to move on for the Aussies and appoint Michael http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 the captain.
Ponting spoke to the media after arriving in Sydney and said, "Absolutely – I've got no doubt about that at all [about remaining captain]. I will give my absolute best as I always have since I've been the Australian captain … to be the best leader I can be
and the best player I can be,”
He also said that there was nothing he could do about the criticism coming his way.
However, the criticism is not unfounded. It is not only the series against the Indians that the experts are referring to, but the overall scenario since the retirements of the Australian greats. Australia has lost to England in the Ashes, lost two series against
India, lost to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755. In fact, they have lost three successive Test matches including one against Pakistan in England.
Ponting admitted that the side hasn’t been playing up to the scratch. He said, "We were always very proud of the fact we were the number one ranked team in Test cricket and one-day cricket for such a long period of time. Our Test form has not been as you would
have liked. It's bad – no-one's proud of the fact we've lost three Test matches in a row. But I've got great confidence in all the players that will represent Australia this year."
Ponting also said that he was unhappy about being criticised by Warne over the handling of the field placements. He reiterated what Warne had said that the matter had now been buried but also added, "What he had to say was very unfair. It was pretty ill-informed
comments. I've never been one to run away or be too big or too good for criticism. I take criticism on the chin and try and become better for it. I've got to put it behind me and move on."
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