Ricky Ponting looking for an end to bad run
Following the one-day series loss to Sri Lanka at home, Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has admitted that his team is going through a rough patch, which will only improve when they start to improve.
Australia lost the opening two games of the ODI series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750. Although the home side won the last game against the Sri Lankans
on Sunday, it was preceded by seven consecutive one-day losses, a far from ideal preparation for the Ashes just over a fortnight away.
"Yes, there is plenty of darkness surrounding our side and our cricket as a whole,” said Ponting, who wasn’t part of the victory in the final contest of the series against Lanka in Brisbane.
Ponting was asked to return to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tasmania-c854 and get himself in shape for a domestic Sheffield Shield game by the selectors. A lot of first-class players play for their domestic sides in the build-up to a big
series. Ponting was also forced to miss the opening match of the series against Sri Lanka as he had to be present at his grandmother's funeral, who passed away prior to the start of the series.
“The last match of the series against Lanka was anyways a dead rubber. And so, we felt that it would be better to have Ricky playing some ‘proper’ cricket with the red ball for the next two weeks so that
he can be all set to take on the Englishmen. This, according to us, was the best way for him to prepare for the Ashes challenge as both batsman and captain, instead of draining his efforts in a series that was dead and buried," added selector and Aussie legend
Greg Chappell.
Australia’s latest set-back comes following their short and win-less trip to India. This was preceded by a short two-match Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 in England, which was drawn 1-1.
However, Ponting maintained that despite all the losses coming so close to the Ashes, the team remained confident and the spirit among the players is still in tact.
"The results may not show it, but the fact is that in the dressing room all of us remain confident of victory. However, we also know that we need to win to gain back the confidence of our fans again and
put Australian cricket back on track. We can change things around, we know that,” added the Aussie skipper.
Ponting seems as determined as he has ever been to get one over on the English. However, he doesn’t put any blame on the recent poor form his team has shown.
"No, not at all. Although there is some inexperience in the side, none of the players are reeling under any kind of pressure. These things are being said only because we are on a losing streak. Honestly,
I really can’t explain why we haven’t been doing better. It is just that things are not clicking for us at the right time. But, I can promise you that none of the guys are feeling down as such” he said.
Betting advice
The odds for the Ashes 2010/11 series seem to have shifted in England's favour. Australia's poor performances against Sri Lanka, and England's solid win over http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Western-Australia-c865, has seen the odds for the
current holders of the urn shorten slightly.
However, Australia is a different animal when playing Test cricket at home. A lot of money will go on Ricky Ponting's men and the skipper himself is always a good bet for a century against England.
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