Ricky Ponting wary of skilful and unpredictable Pakistan team on eve of Test series

THERE was one word Ricky Ponting used to sum up Pakistan: mystery.

It's not so much who the Australians will be up against in the first Test of the series, beginning at the MCG today, but what sort of cricket they will play.

Ponting rates Pakistan more highly than the West Indies, who the Australians have just beaten 2-0 in a three-Test series.

However, Pakistani batsmen have always been as dashing as they can be brittle in the attempt.

That was illustrated only a fortnight ago during Pakistan's third and final Test against New Zealand in Napier, when opening batsman Imran Farhat made a century, and the next five batsmen all made single figures, including three ducks.

"They're a more skilled group of players than the West Indies, there's no doubt about that," Ponting said. "We know with Pakistan that when they put their best foot forward they are a very, very good cricket team.

"They do have a lot of mystery about them. I think that's probably the word that sums them up the best.

"They are unpredictable. One day they can be brilliant, another day they can be pretty ordinary, so we've got to make sure they have more ordinary days than brilliant ones over the next few weeks."

Pakistan had mixed results on its recent tour of New Zealand, narrowly losing the first Test and winning the second before the third was washed out after being evenly poised.

Captain Mohammad Yousuf believes that because Pakistan has already been on the road for more than a month, and played a drawn lead-up match against Tasmania, his team should be better prepared than the West Indies when they arrived last month.

"So far I'm very happy with the team from the past three Test matches," Yousuf said.

"We played good cricket and I am pleased with the way we played.

"That tour will help us, the conditions are very similar."

That Pakistan is playing international cricket at all, let alone so competitively, is a matter for great celebration given the tumultuous state of the country and the fact that teams can no longer tour because of danger of terrorism.

Pakistan has recently added two exciting young players to their team, left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Aamer and batsman Umar Akmal, the younger brother of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who scored a century on debut in New Zealand.

Yousuf will be the most highly-rated batsman in this series. He is five on the official International Cricket Council rankings.

He was No 1 two years ago before being banned for defecting to the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Australians will best remember him scoring a wonderful century at the MCG five years ago as Yousuf Youhana before his conversion to Islam.

That was against an attack which included Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne.

"That was a top bowling attack," Yousuf said. "McGrath and Shane Warne were the best bowlers in the world. Ever. They took 1400 wickets for Australia.

"I will try for the same performance. I will try for 300," he joked given that Warne and McGrath are no longer about.

It is no surprise then given the change in personnel that the Pakistanis fancy their chances more than when they were whitewashed 3-0 when last in Australia.

However, Yousuf admits his team will miss the flair and experience of former captain Younis Khan, who stepped down amid typical Pakistani mayhem.

Ponting agrees: "It's probably been a little bit unsettled over the past few months, with Younus being out of the side, and they've had different openers as well."

As far as batting is concerned, "even Yousuf's only been back playing Test cricket for six months (following an 18-month ICL ban). It's not a long time. They've probably been a bit unsettled but you can't question the quality or the calibre of some of their players.

"They're all very capable. You stack that up with the fast bowlers and the spinners . . . and all of a sudden it looks like a very formidable side."

The pace attack of Aamer, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul is complemented by world-class leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and unusual off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.

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Ponting warning to transgressors

Ricky Ponting has demanded a greater level of discipline from his team in the future after three team members were reported for their conduct.

Tempers flared on day two when West Indies bowler Sulieman Benn bumped into Mitchell Johnson mid-pitch, and then Johnson's batting partner Brad Haddin got heavily involved as plenty of words, pushing and pointing was exchanged.

In the end, Benn was suspended for two one-day internationals after pleading not guilty, and Haddin and Johnson were fined 25 and 10 per cent of their match payments respectively.

Drama again filled the WACA on day four when Shane Watson celebrated his dismissal of West Indies captain Chris Gayle in an over-the-top manner to also find himself fined for his actions.
Ponting has been working hard with his playing group to ensure their behaviour on-field has been at a high standard, and was disappointed with the actions of the Aussie trio.

He said: "I'm not proud of the fact and I'm sure the players aren't either that we've had three guys reported in the one game. Reports have been something that we've been really strict on the last couple of years amongst the player group and we've got a good record the last couple of years.

"Those guys are a bit embarrassed probably and know that they have overstepped the mark, and as captain I do have to take some responsibility. When things happen in the spur of the moment it's not as if I can stop or interject as it's happening either, particularly with the one with Haddin and Johnson, and I'm in the change rooms."

"All you can do is talk to them about it after, let them know it's not acceptable and hope that they learn from their mistakes. The three are all relatively young in international cricket and if they didn't know before, they now know the mark that they've overstepped."

The players have been spoken to by Ponting and coach Tim Nielsen, and the matter will be again brought up to the entire group before the Boxing Day Test with Pakistan.

"Those guys have been spoken about already and we need to talk to the guys as a group at the end of this game," he said.

"There has been enough talk already for the guys to be clear on what is acceptable and it's something that needs to be revisited quite regularly, but at the same time a lot of it is unavoidable. We all have responsibilities and one of mine as captain is to make sure guys don't overstep the mark."

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Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is confident that Michael Hussey has turned the corner

A PRIVATE meeting with Mike Hussey has convinced Test skipper Ricky Ponting that the veteran has turned the corner and will rebuild his career this summer.

Ponting took Hussey aside yesterday to gauge how he was feeling about his form and speculation over his Test spot.

The chat ended with Ponting feeling certain that the 34-year-old was back on track and feeling more relaxed.

"I sat down with him (Hussey) yesterday and had a good chat out in the nets about how he was feeling about things and how he was going," Ponting said.

"He is really relaxed, he is really confident in his game at the moment.

"He feels that the amount of time he has spent in the middle of late in one-day cricket, and the amount of runs he has scored in one-day cricket, should hold him in good stead for the summer.

"We know Test cricket and one-day cricket are a totally different kettle of fish but if you look at the way he has gone about it, he has worked exceptionally hard.

"I have kept a pretty close eye on him over the last couple of days and what I've seen is he has hit most balls in the middle of the bat so hopefully there's some big scores around the corner for him."

Hussey, 34, has endured a lean 12 months at Test level with 28 innings without a Test century until his career-saving 121 in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. The veteran then resuscitated his career in India after chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch had said he had "big decisions" to make about Hussey's futureresuscitated his career in India.

Hussey scored a series-high 313 runs at 104 during the seven one-day match series to convince selectors that he was worth retaining this summer.

Ponting said Hussey's form resurgence was born during the Ashes, despite his on-field struggles.

"I think even by his own admissions he has struggled a bit and been less consistent in the last 12 months than he had been for all of his career," Ponting said.

"I think there were glimpses of some really good stuff through the Ashes, although it wasn't until the last innings of the series he made a century.

"His hundred at The Oval was as well as he has played in a long time.

"Any deficiency he has had he has always tried to rectify and change pretty quickly."

To his teammates, Hussey might now appear more relaxed and at ease with himself and his place in the side.

But behind the scenes "Mr Cricket" has spent countless hours in the nets working on his technique and finding fresh strategies.

"He has worked his way out of it with some hard work and some determination to score as many runs as he can," Ponting said.

"We've all been there as batsmen when you are struggling.

"You are trying everything in your power to get out in the middle and score some runs.

"The game sometimes can just grab hold of you like that and you feel like you can't ever get out of it.

"It's good to see that runs have started to come for him."

Ponting was also quick to deny speculation that Hussey could be moved up to open with Simon Katich, with allrounder Shane Watson shuffled down the order.

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Ponting fights against Twenty20 threat

Ricky Ponting has taken another step in his crusade to ensure playing for Australia remains the pinnacle for his country's cricketers. Ponting, who guided a patched-up squad to a series win over India on Sunday, is concerned that the lucrative Twenty20 domestic leagues will sway emerging talent to push for dollars over international caps.

''I've made no secret that I'm a bit worried about some of the attitudes of younger players … with the amount of money that's around in Champions League and IPL,'' Ponting said in the Age. "'I've made it very common knowledge over the last couple of years that I just hope that the next generation of players coming through have the same sort of want and desire to play as much international cricket as I have, because that's what it's all about as far as I'm concerned."

Ponting, who has appeared in four IPL games for the Kolkata Knight Riders, has retired from Twenty20 internationals "to play more 50-over cricket and better Test cricket over the next few years". However, the younger guys are more likely to be persuaded by the huge sums available in the game's shortest form.

The situation is so delicate that Ponting reminds new recruits of the importance of being in the national side. ''One thing we always try and stress, as the more experienced players in this team, is just how much of an honour it is to get a chance to play for Australia," he said. "We really ram that home to the young guys coming in, and every young bloke I've seen come in has accepted just how big and special it is to play for Australia.

''That's my job and Huss' [Michael Hussey's] job and Michael Clarke's job, as the senior players in the side at the moment, just to keep reinforcing that to those blokes. Hopefully, they'll want to do what some of our older blokes have done.''

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One of our most special wins: Ponting

Guwahati: Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Sunday rated the hard-fought ODI series victory against India in the same bracket as his country's World Cup and Champions Trophy victories and one of the "special" triumphs in his career.

"We have won a lot of series here in India. But this one (series triumph) will be up there with some of the specials that I played in, including our Champions Trophy and World Cup wins," Ponting said after Australia's six-wicket victory over India in the sixth one-dayer here.

Ponting gave full credit to his young players for sealing the series and said their performance was an encouraging sign for Australia's 2011 World Cup campaign at the sub-continent.

"It's really satisfying when the so-called younger and less experienced guys coming into the side and really pop their chest to be part of a successful side. Full credit to them, we cannot have asked for anything better," said Ponting.

"I cannot be any more proud from this group, they have got together, they have put their best game together to win the series. It's really a positive thing for Australian cricket. We are coming back to India to play World Cup, whatever exposure the youngsters get will be a positive for them," Ponting said.

He said winning the series against India at their own backyard and with so many injury problems was satisfying.

"India were breathing down our neck at number two spot and with their home conditions we knew what was ahead of us.

"We had well-documented injuries but we stuck to our plans. It's good that the guys responded really well.

"Our back was on the wall with some the guys coming straight from the Champions League Twenty20 run-down. But we managed well," said Ponting.

Showering praise on man-of-the-match Doug Bollinger, who grabbed five wickets today, Ponting said, "He bowled brilliantly, starting from his first game back in Delhi. To get five wickets on a pitch which did not offer much to the fast bowlers is a terrific reward."

Ponting also supported Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bat first after winning the toss.

"I would also have opted to bat in this morning today. India must be thinking of seeing the new ball off as the wicket got better from there," he said.

"I don't think it was a 27/5 wicket. Our bowlers did a great job. The way they started after second ball of the day went for six was really remarkable. We used the new ball very well and made the most of whatever was there this morning.

"Couple of good balls when Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir got out. Yuvraj Singh was unlucky to get out. But those things happen when you create pressure," Ponting said.

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"We need to bowl better at the death"

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said his bowlers will have to pull up their socks at death in the remaining games of the series against India.
The Aussies narrowly escaped a defeat in the opener of the seven-match series in Vadodara.

The visitors had India on the racks at 201 for seven before Harbhajan Singh (49) and Praveen Kumar (40 not out) came up with a mesmerising 84-run stand for the eighth wicket off just 54 deliveries to bring the match agonisingly close for Australia's comfort.

Ponting singled out Shane Watson, who had a torrid time in the later stages of India innings, saying the burly all-rounder has to go back to the drawing board before the second ODI at Nagpur on Wednesday.

"We had bowled very well in the first 45 overs. We need to do better in our death bowling. There are lessons to be learned. (Peter) Siddle bowled a splendid last over. He has done it before for Australia," Ponting said at the post-match press conference.

"Shane (Watson) is one of our better, no one of our best, bowlers in the end. He did not bowl well today at the death.

He has some work to do," he said.

Ponting was also full of praise for senior batsman Michael Hussey, who scored of 73 off just 54 balls that helped Australia reach the imposing total.

"Hussey was excellent. He made it look easy. Tim Paine also played very well," Ponting said.

Asked why he did not finish pace spearhead Brett Lee's full quota of overs, Ponting said, "He complained of a sore elbow and went in to rest before coming on to the field."

The Australia captain also complimented Harbhajan for his his gutsy innings, saying, "He played well, but not well enough."

With India needing nine runs off six deliveries, Harbhajan fell in the second ball of the last over from Siddle as the hosts finished at 288 for 8 after Australia set a mammoth 293 for victory.

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"We’ve enough flexibility to surprise India"

Ricky, welcome to India. How difficult it is to retain the world No. 1 rankings sans greats like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer?

Ricky Ponting: It will be very tough for us to retain the Number One status in ICC rankings once you lose all-time greats like them. It will be very difficult for any side to sustain the level of excellence like those guys had helped achieve.

Do you think you have done reasonably well after losing such champion match-winners until now?

RP: Yeah! The thing that really impresses me is that even with the absence of those guys, we have been playing good competitive cricket. Any series that we have gone into, we have been ultra competitive and had our moments where we should have won many Test series. The way we have been playing in the last two or three years, there are enough positive signs.

Do you think the side has shaped up well after the Ashes loss?

RP: I think the Ashes was a real learning experience for our young players, many of whom were new to Test cricket. But the amazing thing is that all those players have learnt from their mistakes in the Test defeats and have done really well in the one-dayers. I am very much confident that they will continue in the same vein to play good competitive cricket to win.

You are currently ranked number four in Tests. Do you think that is a true reflection of your young side?

RP: Not really, I think we are a much better side than that. We are number one in ODIs now, which I think is the true reflection of our team.

Do you think other top teams can cope with the tricky business of rebuilding a team like the way Australia has done?

RP: If we compare the rebuilding of other top teams with us, in a couple of years’ time, South Africa will be going through the similar process of rebuilding and I think India too will have to go through that phase when the likes of Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Zaheer and Harbhajan will end their Test careers. By the time they are going through it, we would have invested 30-40 Tests in our younger players, making it a very settled team by then. So it will be interesting to see how those teams rebuild through it. It can be bit of a cycle with the way things work with the timing of the players retiring and new players coming in. But I think we are on the right track as a team.

JN: Which are the teams you think can push Australia the hardest?

RP: I think South Africa, even though they have this habit of missing out on big tournaments but overall if we look at them they are a well balanced side. India too, we have known them for a long time and they are particularly good in one-day cricket.

Ricky, would you put Michael Hussey and Michael Bevan along the same lines in the middle order?

RP: Yeah, both have batted at the similar sort of positions in the batting line up, and both have been recognized as guys who you expect to finish games for your team by staying right till the end. So yes, they are very similar.

What kind of playing eleven have you decided for the ODIs v India? Will you be playing with three pacers, two all-rounders and a spinner like in the recent ICC Champions Trophy?

RP: I think three pacers, one spinner and two all rounders in Watson and Hopes was a ploy that gave us a lot of balance in the ICC Champions Trophy. However, we are still not decided about the batting order. We still have to find a replacement in the eleven for injured Callum Ferguson. It could be Shaun Marsh or Adam Voges. We have enough flexibility in our ranks to surprise the Indians on the day of the match.

Is a seven-match series too long for an ODI series?

RP: Look, the previous series against one team was the Ashes series which went on for close to about four months which is way too long a time to play one side in a calendar year. That tour consisted of 5 Tests, seven ODIs, two T20 Internationals as well. I think five ODIs in a series is good enough, seven games are way too long.

A word on the security arrangements this time around?

RP: I think the security levels this time around are much stricter for obvious reasons but we are here to play good competitive cricket and the authorities have made good arrangements for us so far.

The horse racing season is in full bloom in Australia and the Melbourne Cup is not far away. Have you been betting there or is it just for fun?

RP: Horse racing is always fun to be a part of. It is more of fun then anything else for me.

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Security arrangements are impressive:Ponting

Australian captain Ricky Ponting today said he is impressed with the security arrangements put in place for his side.

"We have been very impressed about the level of security we have had since we arrived. From the moment we stepped off the plane yesterday we have had excellent security," Ponting told a media conference in Mumbai today.

Praising the Indian Cricket Board for providing a tight security cordon, Ponting said this seemed to be part and parcel of international sporting events all over the world.

"You travel to different places in the world these days, security is quite heavy. The BCCI has so far done a terrific job looking after us well and hopefully that will continue right through the tour," said the 34-year-old cricketer.

Mumbai police personnel were present inside the team hotel when Ponting addressed the media conference ahead of the series that commences in Vadodara on October 25.

"The policemen were particularly on the look-out for media persons wearing slippers and one of them explained they (Australians) are our guests and we don't want any untoward incident to take place," he said.

There was also an outer ring of gun-toting policemen to guard the conference rooms entrance and all public vehicles like buses and autos were stopped well outside the Taj Lands End hotel's premises in Bandra.

The BCCI has also made arrangements with private guards to beef up the security at the Mumbai Cricket Association's Bandra-Kurla Complex ground where the visiting and Indian teams would be practising.

Both the teams are set to leave for Vadodara on October 23.

"Seven ODIs is probably too many"

Meanwhile, Ponting feels the seven ODIs against India are a case of one too many and the series should have been a best-of-five affair to keep the players motivated.

"It (seven-match ODI bilateral series) is probably too many. Five is enough head-to-head in any one series. We all know the reasons we are playing these seven-game series," the Australian captain said on Wednesday, hinting that money made by the cricket boards was the sole criteria for having such a long series.

Australia played a best-of-seven contest against England in August-September and would be competing in the lengthy ODI rubber against India from October 25.

Ponting said long-drawn-out contests result in inconsequential matches and players lose focus once the result becomes clear.

"When we play a seven-match series against one side in a matter of a couple of weeks its really hard to focus, especially if the series is over (result decided in one teams favour), to maintain focus throughout, especially if there's another big series coming up," he explained.

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Aussies still the best in the world:Pointing

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said the depth and abundance of talent has kept his team ahead of others in the recent past.

"We've got great depth in Australian cricket and I think this is one of the things that has held us ahead of the game for the last seven or eight years," Ponting said.

Ponting, who retired from Twenty20 International cricket recently, said he expects the young guns in the side to make an impression in the ICC Champions trophy starting later this month.

"We expect the young guys who come into the side to make an impact as well as those who have been in the side for some time," said Ponting in an ICC release.

Ponting's deputy Michael Clarke, who was a part of the ICC Champions Trophy winning team in 2006, also kept faith on the youngsters and felt they would be able to fill in the shoes of the retired players.

"We've obviously had a few key players retire since the last ICC Champions Trophy but we also have had some good young players come through who we all expect to make an impact this time round," Clarke said.

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Ponting angered by England tactics

Ricky Ponting delivered a stinging critique of England's gamesmanship after a contentious final session in which the hosts' 12th man and physiotherapist made multiple visits to the centre. The Australian captain's comments were tantamount to an accusation of time-wasting by an England side attempting to save the first Test, and will do little to defuse tensions between the two sides following a fractious day's play at Sophia Gardens.

Hostilities between the camps commenced before a ball was bowled on Sunday, with Mitchell Johnson and Kevin Pietersen involved in a verbal altercation after the latter hit balls in the direction of the Australian fast bowler. They continued after the commencement of play, with Andrew Flintoff temporarily standing his ground to a Ponting catch at second slip, and again when Stuart Broad and Peter Siddle bumped shoulders in the final session. A pitch invasion staged by a pair of protesters further added to the intensity of the occasion.

But the controversy most likely to linger was the involvement of Bilal Shafayat and Steve McCaig, the England 12th man and physiotherapist, who made appearances in the 102nd and 103rd overs of the innings despite scant evidence that the batsmen, Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar, called upon their services. Shafayat ran gloves and water to the batsmen - receiving a none too subtle chirp from Ponting for his troubles - while McCaig briefly checked on their physical condition at a time when Australia was desperately pressed for time to claim a victory that, barely an hour before, appeared an inevitability.

Speaking after the match, Ponting expressed his frustration over England's apparent stalling tactics, reprising memories of his vocal disapproval of England's use of substitute fielders during the 2005 Ashes series. An Australian team spokesman confirmed they would not make an official complaint, although Ponting invited the ICC's match referee, Jeff Crowe, to review the incident.

"I don't think it was required, he changed [the gloves] the over before and I don't think they'd be too sweaty in one over," Ponting said. "I'm not sure what the physio was doing out there. I didn't see anyone call for the physio to come out. As far as I'm concerned, it was pretty ordinary, really. But they can play whatever way they want to play. We came to play by the rules and the spirit of the game. It's up to them to do what they want to do.

"A few guys were questioning the umpires, a few guys were questioning the 12th man, but it's not the 12th man's fault. Someone from upstairs was sending him out there. That's where it needs to be taken up. There was nothing there that we could do out on the ground. We had to get them off as quick as we could and get a couple more overs.

"I was unhappy with it, but it lasted a couple of minutes, and we got them off the ground. I don't want to make that big a deal with it. I'm sure others will be taking it up with the England hierarchy, as they should. It's not the reason we didn't win. We've got to look at those reasons."

Andrew Strauss, the England captain, denied his side had contravened the spirit of cricket, insisting that the reasons for Shafayat's presence on the playing field in the dying moments of the game were legitimate.

"There was a lot of confusion, to be fair," Strauss said. "We first of all sent the 12th man out to let Jimmy and Monty know there was time left, and not the overs. Then there was drink spilled on Jimmy's gloves, and he called up to the dressing room and we weren't sure if he needed 12th man or physio. If Ricky is upset, that's a shame.

"Our intentions were good. We weren't trying to deliberately waste a huge amount of time. Those weren't our tactics. Those two were playing very well out in the middle and the reality of the situation is that Australia didn't take the final wicket and we got away with a draw."

Both captains sought to defuse the Johnson-Pietersen and Broad-Siddle rows. "It was just a few guys on the ground taking each other's space," Ponting said of Johnson's verbal exchange with Pietersen. Strauss, meanwhile, insisted the match had been played in a good spirit. "I don't think there were lines crossed," he said.

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