only yesterday this blog asked chris broad to give reasons why he let ponting off the hook...? why he was not reprimanded... at least...?
chris broad has allegedly confessed...
reprimanding ponting would have meant discussing the elbowgate issue with him in close proximity and after seeing the video who with the semblance of mind would risk that...? so i decided to...
"It has happened twice now so we as a playing control team thought it would be sensible for me to have a word with him. He accepted it graciously and undertook to avoid a repeat occurrence. As far as we are concerned the issue is now closed."
mohammad amir (you read it right... it's amir not ricky ponting) has been gently reprimanded by chris broad... he noted...
"Amir is a young, exciting, talented player full of enthusiasm for this great sport and that is to be celebrated and nurtured," Broad said. "But there are a few things he still has to learn in relation to how to conduct himself on the field of play.
"I told him that when he takes a wicket, he should celebrate with his team-mates rather than getting himself into the personal space of the outgoing batsman. It's a spirit of cricket issue.
"ponting was just trying to create the space for himself... by stretching his elbow he was showing aamer that this is my space and i don't think there is anything wrong with that..."
the player of the decade title is for the one who really left the indisputable impressions on the game apart from merely contributing towards the team win as a batsman, bowler or as an allrounder... and for this simple fact only ponting deserved to be the player of the decade...
ricky ponting was one of the best batsman of the decade was never in doubt but his real worth as player and his contributions towards the game came to the fore when he was made captain of the australia team...
earlier captain's task used to be perceived as the player who leads the team by his exemplary behavior not only in the field but off field as well... the one who tries to win the game for his team by playing 'hard but fair' without disrespecting opponent... but ponting changed all that for once and all...
now apart from leading the team... captain must have a corporate meeting almost after every ball with his bowlers specially when the things are not going their way... should call each fielder to ask his well being before the next ball could be bowled... have an impromptu discussions with umpires about the state of affairs... convert the art of sledging into the art of abusing without ever being caught... barge at the batsman along with his bowler after getting him dismissed at the top of his voice and impressions... keep the match referee and third umpire busy by claiming bump catches... in fact sometimes even become an umpire and declare batsman out... to help out the system...
no wonder ponting has the most appearances before the match referees than all other captains put together past decade... but make no mistake... all that was done in the spirit of the game for we would have never known the intricacies of how system works...
had ponting not taken the lead and responsibility on himself to highlight the obvious flaws of the system or how to work around it... the game would have been poorer and dull... for he invited more debates and arguments than any other player in the history of game... the game became more interesting even off field...
although there were voices in his home country about ponting being the worst behaved australian player and captain not so long ago... but it was the icc and cricinfo experts who knew the real worth of him and acknowledged his selfless contributions and impact on the game the way no other player could manage to do so consistently throughout the decade...
...and uninterested players too...
now that ozies are out...they can ponder over some issues apart from preparing for ashes...
we are always made to believe that oz have pool of talented players (sans spinners of course) but in contrast to this very belief...they keep falling for the same set of players time and again...
so whenever watson will regain his fitness he will be drafted into the team like he has a place reserved for life...while players like marsh etc will be shown the door...without giving them enough chances...
michael hussey can keep his place doing virtually nothing...
..and above all is ponting...his t20 record both as captain and as player...is nothing to cheer about...his captaincy is regressing which is clearly visible...but cricket australia showing trademark arrogance (or lack of choices?) made him captain for all versions of game till 2011 world cup...beat that...!
now that ponting has led to their most embarrassing exit from a world event...will they sit and ponder over their future for limited form of games...?
i think they should... the way game is evolving you need players who are not only skilled but hungry to make mark on international scene... who don’t pretend to like one format over other... coz once you step into field wearing national cap... the length of game must seize to exist... one should be proud of the fact that he is representing his country at international stage... out of many who can only dream about it...
by showing indifference towards the job at hand or making it sounding like another outing to entertain (younis khan...please note) you are not only showing disrespect to the cap but also insulting your fans who follow you like a religion...
anyway who wants uninterested players...?
those who don't show due respect and commitment to this form of game...just needs to see what that world cup win did to indian cricket...
in this regard i sincerely applaud our seniors, who are otherwise known to stick to their places, for seeing the light and willingly distancing themselves from this shortest form of game...rest as they say is history...we not only won the t20 worldcup...but indian cricket has not looked back since then...
moral of the story...?
either show respect towards the game...or make way for those who will...
at a pre-departure press conference...ricky ponting, in bullish mood, said this...
There won't be any added pressure on us, but maybe on South Africa. They've been striving for a long time to be recognised as being the No. 1 Test team in the world, so maybe that will weigh on their minds more than ours.
I've been around a long time and played a lot of games but this will be as big a series for me as any I've played in.
...and the captain who was ordered to cool his heels against his wish...is now been sent sos call to arrest the slump of sinking ship...
goes to show that its not only their team who has lost its nuts...and what it tells of CA's confidence in its players and captain-in-waiting clarke the pup...?
we don't think that you are capable of winning from team the defeat against which looked so 'unthinkable'...
so malik was finally relieved from captaincy after disastrous home series…
i think, it's time CA too follow the suite and save ponting the batsman they have… the last link of that golden era which seems like a mirage the way ozies are performing under him for quite a while now…
wins are coming like the losses used to happen to them...
he has led oz to first home test series loss after 17 years…before surrendering border-gavaskar trophy meekly to india…
under him oz has not won major odi tournament at home for more than couple of seasons…add to it the serious thrashing they are getting from proteas…
and more importantly he has led oz to more controversies than all other oz captains put together i can think of…
you name it and he has it in his resume…
i do feel ponting has already exceeded his use by date as captain…
he is captaining australia for around 6-7 years now and the staleness in his leadership is getting blatantly exposed with each match...no wonder australia too seems to have embraced his staleness...looking more like a insipid bunch of players rather than a team…
it’s high time he is relieved from his job at the time when oz are looking to rebuild their team…it will only be more appropriate if they build it with new captain who will come with fresh ideas and vision for the team…
this brings me to michael clarke...
michael clark has been groomed for the next captain of australia…they have put so much in terms of future investment on him...and as if working on cue…seems to be finding his groove just at the right time…with his performances as well as demeanor on field…
this is just about the perfect time he is handed over the captaincy of oz team when scoring good...is high on confidence…and when his place in all forms of game is indisputable…
although it won't change the oz fortune in jiffy...but one change that will be evident from day one is that we all will be spared of ponting's mid-pitch conferences after every delivery where he apparently discusses his fluctuating stock values in this time of meltdown...
badly bruised and hurt oz will be playing for pride in sydney...
this is what this blogger said...on 26th november 2007...
OZ Captain: we are playing for pride...
who will deliver...?
will my team turn up...?
will they perform...?ponting is turning into a serial quote-a-day maker...
and this is his latest offering...
we feel that ponting has two sides in his brain...
left and right...
on the left side...there is nothing right...
and on right side...there is nothing left...
sometime back friend and fellow blogger scorpicity of cricketfizz commented here...
We need some amendments boys and now let's make some noise about the overrates after the Indian bowling ends :)
we have won!! and how!!
we thrashed aussies...brought back Border-Gavaskar Trophy back to where it belonged...
and with a sweetener too...
pricky getting sodomised over 'over-rates'...
that he fell short to claim the line today...is symbolic of...game has its own ways to bite your @ss...
this is the most selfish play i have ever seen...even greg chapple did what he did to WIN the match...
for me not for the 2-0 result...and the thrashing they got in this series...the aura of world champion team dimineshed there and then...
world champion teams don't do that...world champions don't have captain like him...
but are we complaining? no way...
Congratulations...!!
yesterday was no different...
ozies bowled only 87 something overs with about 40 overs from spinners...that too after getting the play extended to half an hour...
once again we are yet to hear any thing from referee...not even a word from match officials...no use of 'swift discretion'...nothing...for this serial offense from punter...
we feel that ranting on over rate from aussies is getting monotonous...so why not icc comes up with new ruling...
its given that punter will always under bowl day in day out...
i don't wanna defend gambhir here...he deserves every bit of punishment he has got...
but the point i want to initiate debate on is...that...of late it has become like a ritual to settle whatever grudge they have with 'the bully' bcci this way...
gambhir is just a what we say a 'mohra'...in this game...
and i am least surprised with the swiftness of appeal decision taken by ICC...though there are still more important and urgent issues lingering since ages...which needs no further elaboration...
the satisfaction of scoring some brownie points is greater than settling those issues...and i don't wanna deprive them the joy of this 'moral victory'...
never mind that...
the crying pussy watson after referee himself admitted was the one who provoked gets away with...if we can call it a fine...
never mind that...
johnson after abusing non other than VVS (the rare breed of gentleman left in this 'gentleman' game) without any provocation was not even reprimanded...gets away with it...
mind you i said abusing not sledging...there by sending message its ok to be abusive...
...and
punter after clearly showing dissent with umpire decision (and its not one off incident as far as punter record goes) gets into argument with batsman and holds the play 'against the spirit of game'...but we are yet to hear a word from what they call referees...
...and these are just the examples from this series only...
the call is yours...
PS
did i said...gambhir is the highest scorer of this series and is the consistent pain in the @ss of ozies...? oh...never mind that... ;-)
this session, after tea, india averages above 5...
this is some intent...
aptly shown by gambhir...by hitting the ball out of park for consecutive century against oz...
but what about oz over rates...?
wonder why punter is getting away with this serial offense...
any other captain and he would be cooling his heels in pavilion serving suspension...
but not him...why?
| 7.6 | Harbhajan Singh to Katich, OUT, terrific catch by Tendulkar! Delivered from round the wicket, gives it a lot of flight, Katich chases a delivery wide of the offstump, the ball lobs off the leading edge and stays in the air for a few anxious seconds, Tendulkar at short point lunges forward for the dive, realises that the ball was dipping but still managed to cup his hands behind the ball on the tumble, you should have seen the delight on his face when he gathered himself |
| SM Katich c Tendulkar b Harbhajan Singh 20 (26b 4x4 0x6) SR: 76.92 |
| 10.2 | Sharma to Ponting, OUT, Ishant hits the timber, superb delivery, pitches around the off stump and comes back in off the pitch, Ponting commits early to the forward prod but somehow the ball sneaks through the daylight between bat and pad and knocks the off stump back, Ishant now gets Ponting for the fifth time in as many matches |
| RT Ponting b Sharma 2 (11b 0x4 0x6) SR: 18.18 |
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