Ricky Ponting hails Australia’s resilience
Australia’s One Day International skipper Ricky Ponting has praised the resilience shown by his team in the recently concluded ODI series against England after the hosts were annihilated in the Ashes series by England.
After Australia’s loss to England in the Ashes, many had predicted that Australia’s dominance in the world of cricket had finally come to a bitter end. However, the Aussies proved everyone wrong when they demolished the English in the seven-match ODI series
by 6-1.
The Australians went into the series after losing their main players to injury which included Ponting as well. The Tasmanian sat out of the ODI series because of a broken finger, an injury he sustained during the third Test at the Western Australia Cricket
Association Ground, Perth.
He expressed satisfaction towards his One Day side and reiterated that Australia had once again proved that they were still the best side in the one day format of the game. Talking to newsmen he said, “Looking at the last few results I think they were really
satisfying against a pretty good English team. The satisfying thing for me out of the last series was that when we were down and out and it looked like we were beaten, we found a way to win games which I think has been a trademark of very good Australian teams
for a long period of time now.”
The ODI series was marred by injuries on both sides. Australia’s injuries include Michael Hussey with a hamstring injury, Shaun Tait with an injured back, Shaun Marsh with a injured hamstring, Nathan Hauritz with a shoulder injury, Steve Smith with a bad
back and Xavier Doherty also with an injured back.
Hussey and Hauritz have now been ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2011 which is a big blow for the injury stricken Australia. Ponting admitted the fact that the loss of Hussey was a big set-back for Australia but believed that his side still had enough firepower
to defend its title in the Subcontinent.
The Aussie skipper revealed that he had not gained full fitness and would be playing the initial matches of the global event in pain. "I still feel a bit sore, but I think I'm going to be a bit sore for a while," he said.
Playing in pain is nothing new for Ponting, as he took part in the fourth Ashes Test at Melbourne with a broken finger in a bid to stop England from retaining the Ashes. However, Australia lost this clash and England finally managed to defeat the Aussies
in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 after 24 years.
Ponting was then dropped from the squad for the Ashes finale, so that he could have enough time to take care of his finger and return to full fitness before the World Cup which is set to begin on 19 February, 2011 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The way the Australians pulverised the English in the One Day format of the game there is little doubt that they will not be an easy side to beat in this year’s World Cup.
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