Second test, Aust vs NZ hobart starting Friday

[Dutchy]

Guess we should keep ponting since he made a half century in brisbane. He is in such good form.

I dont see why we wouldnt play cowan (in outstanding form), watson and marsh if all fit. drop hughes, ponting and hussey.

Ponting HAS to go. May as well get games into some one else considering he is continue to fail.

Ponting is averaging over 40 in his last 4 digs, what has he done wrong apart from being Australia's best batsmen since Bradman?

[Media Park]

Ponting's abilities have lessened, no doubt, that happens in time.
The eye's don't pick the ball up as quick as they used to, the hands and the feet aren't moving like they used to.
These things happen.
A good player becomes average, and they retire.
When it is a great player, they become merely good, and although they are no longer at their best-
They are still good enough, refer my last post, who is the next batsman to come into the middle order?
None has stood up, and Ricky may be the next one from the team I named to leave, but he is the best choice for now.

When a middle order player picks up the slack, and starts to get noticed, they may replace him, but that time has not quite come yet.

The splutters and occasional starts are now starts and fifties, that improvement is called form.

[overloaded]

Ponting is finished

[Media Park]

Ponting is finished

Christ, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ricky Ponting will announce his retirement in a press conference at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning.

It must happen, overloaded himself has said that Ponting is done!

[Punk Rooster]

Guess we should keep ponting since he made a half century in brisbane. He is in such good form.

I dont see why we wouldnt play cowan (in outstanding form), watson and marsh if all fit. drop hughes, ponting and hussey.

Ponting HAS to go. May as well get games into some one else considering he is continue to fail.

Ponting is averaging over 40 in his last 4 digs, what has he done wrong apart from being Australia's best batsmen since Bradman?

c'mon Dutchy, Australia don't need experienced batsmen averaging 40 in their last 4 digs, or even averaging 52.29 throughout their Test career- he is the week link in an otherwise strong batting line-up, and we have a very strong talent pool to replace him with....

[overloaded]

Ponting is finished

Christ, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ricky Ponting will announce his retirement in a press conference at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning.

It must happen, overloaded himself has said that Ponting is done!

SMO

[The Sleeping Giant]

Guess we should keep ponting since he made a half century in brisbane. He is in such good form.

I dont see why we wouldnt play cowan (in outstanding form), watson and marsh if all fit. drop hughes, ponting and hussey.

Ponting HAS to go. May as well get games into some one else considering he is continue to fail.

Ponting is averaging over 40 in his last 4 digs, what has he done wrong apart from being Australia's best batsmen since Bradman?

c'mon Dutchy, Australia don't need experienced batsmen averaging 40 in their last 4 digs, or even averaging 52.29 throughout their Test career- he is the week link in an otherwise strong batting line-up, and we have a very strong talent pool to replace him with....

WTF

[overloaded]

I agree..... WTF

[dedja]

I suspect he may have inhaled some pesticide

[NFC]

Guess we should keep ponting since he made a half century in brisbane. He is in such good form.

I dont see why we wouldnt play cowan (in outstanding form), watson and marsh if all fit. drop hughes, ponting and hussey.

Ponting HAS to go. May as well get games into some one else considering he is continue to fail.

Ponting is averaging over 40 in his last 4 digs, what has he done wrong apart from being Australia's best batsmen since Bradman?

c'mon Dutchy, Australia don't need experienced batsmen averaging 40 in their last 4 digs, or even averaging 52.29 throughout their Test career- he is the week link in an otherwise strong batting line-up, and we have a very strong talent pool to replace him with....

Well said.

If batsmen around the country were banging the door down Ponting would step aside/be tapped on the shoulder, but the fact is there is no one demanding his spot. Hughes will be the first to go if one of Watson/Marsh are fit. Ponting just made 2 half centuries, he failed in Tasmania and if he fails again in Melbourne then maybe he needs to think about stepping down, but how could you honestly drop him given the rest of the teams form and the others form in state cricket???

[Dutchy]

Thats the thing, there is no one to replace him so why wouldnt you back in Ponting?

Hussey has to go first anyway.

[NFC]

Wow, some guys don't pick up on sarcasm.

[dedja]

true, no-one got the pesticide joke ... plus Punky confused a few because he doesn't normally take the piss.

[Hondo]

Dutchy will be in but I agree with him this time ... and Media Park

I don't think he is the weakest link and I don't think he should be dropped on principle.

As Dutchy said, I think Mr Cricket is first in the queue of the older guys.

[Dutchy]

[westozfalcon]

Guess we should keep ponting since he made a half century in brisbane. He is in such good form.

I dont see why we wouldnt play cowan (in outstanding form), watson and marsh if all fit. drop hughes, ponting and hussey.

Ponting HAS to go. May as well get games into some one else considering he is continue to fail.

Ponting is averaging over 40 in his last 4 digs, what has he done wrong apart from being Australia's best batsmen since Bradman?

c'mon Dutchy, Australia don't need experienced batsmen averaging 40 in their last 4 digs, or even averaging 52.29 throughout their Test career- he is the week link in an otherwise strong batting line-up, and we have a very strong talent pool to replace him with....

Well said.

If batsmen around the country were banging the door down Ponting would step aside/be tapped on the shoulder, but the fact is there is no one demanding his spot. Hughes will be the first to go if one of Watson/Marsh are fit. Ponting just made 2 half centuries, he failed in Tasmania and if he fails again in Melbourne then maybe he needs to think about stepping down, but how could you honestly drop him given the rest of the teams form and the others form in state cricket???

It shouldn't come to the stage where Ponting has to be dropped. He should just swallow his pride, recognize that his batting reflexes have deserted him and retire gracefully.

By being stubborn and hanging on he his doing himself a disservice and putting unfair pressure on the selectors.

[Ruben Carter]

[/quote]

By being stubborn and hanging on he his doing himself a disservice and putting unfair pressure on the selectors

that is a ridiculous post. Selectors are paid to make the tough calls...

[rod_rooster]

Ricky Ponting is still easily in the best XI. Sure he isn't the dominant player he was but until the time he's not in the best XI then there is no pressure on the selectors. Seriously who is going to replace him and be better?

[Gozu]

Series stats

Australia

Batting

Clarke-161 runs @ 53.66
Warner-153 runs @ 76.5
Haddin-100 runs @ 33.33
Ponting-99 runs @ 33
Khawaja-68 runs @ 22.66
Hughes-41 runs @ 10.25
Siddle-38 runs @ 12.66
Starc-36 runs @ 18
Pattinson-33 runs @ 11
Hussey-23 runs @ 7.66
Lyon-15 runs @ 7.5

Bowling

Pattinson-14wk @ 14
Lyon-10wk @ 12.6
Siddle-9wk @ 23.22
Starc-4wk @ 50
Hussey-2wk @ 13.5
Ponting-0/4
Warner-0/5

New Zealand

Batting

Brownlie-196 runs @ 65.33
Vettori-113 runs @ 56.5
Taylor-76 runs @ 19
Williamson-72 runs @ 18
McCullum-63 runs @ 15.75
Ryder-58 runs @ 14.5
Southee-56 runs @ 14
Guptill-44 runs @ 11
Young-22 runs @ 7.33
Boult-21 runs @ 21
Bracewell-18 runs @ 4.5
Martin-3 runs @ 1

Bowling

Bracewell-10wk @ 17.2
Martin-8wk @ 22.37
Southee-5wk @ 44.6
Boult-4wk @ 20
Vettori-2wk @ 44
Guptill-1wk @ 18
Williamson-0/8
Brownlie-0/11

[mal]

Since Clarke became captain
Ponting
11 innings
293 runs
26.63 average

He will be 37 years old in 3 days time
Its very very very very sad to see a champion really struggling



For more detailed stats on Ponting see the 2013 thread