Skipper Ponting still hopeful
Australian skipper and Captain Ricky Ponting was adamant that there was still a “good feeling” among the Australian team after they suffered their seventh consecutive loss. The loss is affecting them badly as the team seeks for Ashes build-up.
However, Sri Lanka vanquished Australia in the second One Day International (ODI) at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. The tourists sealed their first series win on Australian ground with a clean sweep of 2-0. The 50 over match was disrupted by rain and
Sri Lanka finished early for 213 for 3 in 41.1 overs, whereas, Australia faced difficulty as their target was inflated to 240 in 38 overs. But the Sri Lankans were determined to break drought on an otherwise rainy night. They won by 29 runs on D/L method.
The Kangaroos are facing a lot of criticism at home and beyond, as the much awaited war between two countries, England and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 is scheduled to start from 25th November. There have been rumours about tension and pressure building up in the
Aussie’s dressing room regarding the captaincy ability of Ricky Ponting and temporary captain Michael http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120.
But Ponting insisted that there was no need of causing “alarm” as the first Ashes Test is due to start in three weeks. He further said that they are just “far enough off to be losing” matches at the moment and that they “had to work on all departments” as
they had opportunities to win those games.
The skipper got irritated with the fact that the pre-Ashes hype cannot be used as an “excuse.” He conceded that although they are feeling the pressure, they would not use the hype as a reason for their poor form.
Ponting wants his team to fight back in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday in Brisbane to “get things back on track.” He remained positive and said that the team is refusing to “panic.”
Although Ponting will not be taking part in the final showdown as he will be travelling to Hobart to prepare for the Sheffield Shield match of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Queensland-c834 as to get “fit” for the first Ashes. The National Selection Panel’s member Greg Chappell
announced late Friday that as the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 series have already decided, Ponting would have a perfect chance to prepare in the “two solid weeks of red-ball cricket.”
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