Where would you bat Ponting ?

[howardj]

I don't see the point in Ponting continuing post-World Cup. By the time we play our next Test in August he'll be pushing 37 years of age, and he's been in decline for the last two years. In cricketing terms, he is already old. Continuing on for a couple of more years is just madness. If his coach wasn't such a 'yes man', he'd tell Ponting as much.

It's time to, to coin a phrase, move forward.

 

[morgieb]

I don't see the point in Ponting continuing post-World Cup. By the time we play our next Test in August he'll be pushing 37 years of age, and he's been in decline for the last two years. In cricketing terms, he is already old. Continuing on for a couple of more years is just madness. If his coach wasn't such a 'yes man', he'd tell Ponting as much.

It's time to, to coin a phrase, move forward.

howardj coming out of the closet?

But yeah, it's time to move on from Punter. He's not the player he once was, and it's unlikely that he can have a Tendulkar-esque recovery.

 

[howardj]

Yep, Sachin's renaissance is the exception for someone of that age, not the rule.

Anyway, Hussey, Watson and Clarke have played an awful lot of cricket and will be there to guide the younger players/batsmen.

Ponting is surplus to requirements in that respect.

 

[Spark]

Watson? He's only played 26 tests...

 

[howardj]

Watson? He's only played 26 tests...

Hussey and Clarke then....



Point I was trying to make is that his experience is not, of itself, reason enough for Poning to bat on.

There's other guys who can fill that breach.

Time to declare, as the commercial says.

 

[Spark]

Hussey won't be around for too much longer. It really is just Clarke if/when Ponting and Hussey go...

 

[howardj]

You think Punt should bat on?

 

[Spark]

For one more season, yes.

 

[howardj]

But then he pushes Usman back out, unless Ponting comes in at six for Smith.

I like Smith, and think he's worth persisting with.

He's shown enough flashes and patches.

 

[Spark]

Well that's kind of it. Smith I reckon is mentally cut out for it but technically he's some way off. Give him one more season in Shield cricket.

 

[robinjr]

Well that's kind of it. Smith I reckon is mentally cut out for it but technically he's some way off. Give him one more season in Shield cricket.

agree.He's pretty young as well so he has got plenty of time in his side.
Let's trial punter at #5 in Sl and see wether he can come good.If he doesn't he'll get the 2 test home series against the harmless kiwis to say good bye.The 2nd test of that series will be played at Tassie so that'l be the perfect fairwell.

My batting order fer sl tests

Watson
Hughes
Khawaja
Clarke
Ponting
Hussey
Haddin

 

[GotSpin]

But then he pushes Usman back out, unless Ponting comes in at six for Smith.

I like Smith, and think he's worth persisting with.

He's shown enough flashes and patches.

Don't think it's a long stretch to call Steve one of the worst no.6s in test cricket right now.

Ponting should definitiely play on, but he should drop down the order. Fairly sure I suggested this before the series but got shot down. Might not have been on here though, I'm sure my mates sprayed me for the idea however.

 

[Furball]

howardj coming out of the closet?

But yeah, it's time to move on from Punter. He's not the player he once was, and it's unlikely that he can have a Tendulkar-esque recovery.

I dunno, in the short term while you need to blood players I don't see the harm in Ponting continuing purely as a batsman and seeing whether or not he can still cut it.

I stand by what I said in the "fallout" thread after the last Ashes. I think the time for sacking Ponting as captain was after the defeat in England.

 

[Spark]

I would agree with that simply because his successor was in form...

 

[vic_orthdox]

But then he pushes Usman back out, unless Ponting comes in at six for Smith.

I like Smith, and think he's worth persisting with.

He's shown enough flashes and patches.

As I've said before, at least once:

My problem with Smith is that he's a wonderful package, but still don't see him as a good enough batsman at this stage to play in the Top 6 of a Test team. He bowls decent, he bats decent, but neither are good enough to be regularly effective at Test level.

Especially with Watson in our eleven, there is no excuse for not picking the next best batsman at number 6. And I don't see how Steve Smith is that player. I'd much rather see Ponting and Khawaja at 6, with Smith out and a spinner in the team, than Smith in the side at the moment.

 

[Prince EWS]

As I've said before, at least once:

My problem with Smith is that he's a wonderful package, but still don't see him as a good enough batsman at this stage to play in the Top 6 of a Test team. He bowls decent, he bats decent, but neither are good enough to be regularly effective at Test level.

Especially with Watson in our eleven, there is no excuse for not picking the next best batsman at number 6. And I don't see how Steve Smith is that player. I'd much rather see Ponting and Khawaja at 6, with Smith out and a spinner in the team, than Smith in the side at the moment.

Yeah, fully agreed, and I've said as much before as well. If the selectors think Smith's the best #6 available (and as average as he looks, there's a case for it) I'm okay with the selection, but I don't think they really do. When Shane Watson is one of the country's six best batsmen there's really no reason not to pick the country's six best batsmen as he offers great balance to the attack as it is.

I've generally been a pretty big fan of picking four quicks at home because I think the difference between the fourth best quick and the best spinner in Australian conditions outweighs the balance a spinner would bring on those surfaces, but when it means you waste Watson's bowling and have to pick a weak #6 it's really not worth it. If the selectors really believe in Smith as a package I'd be happier with them picking him to bat eight at the moment. He's not the best spinner in the country but I don't think he'd be required to bowl much more batting eight than he currently is batting six (Watson would just bowl a bit more) and it could still be made known that he was picked as an allround option rather than as a spinner. Watson's bowling would cease to be wasted and the batting would be a lot stronger.

This will be an unpopular call but in the role of batting #6 and being the fifth of sixth bowler, I tend to think even Marcus North's a better option (not saying I'd recall him) - we called for him to be dropped for so long and when he finally was, it wasn't even an improvement.

 

[superkingdave]

Reckon Smith would benefit from going and doing a full season in England tbh

 

[howardj]

To be honest, Ponting averaged 16 in this series. Is he going to fair any better against South Africa (a better attack in their own conditions) when we tour there next September? 36 is old for a cricketer, and when you've already been in decline for 18 months, then you're in the death zone. Him playing on, that's 12 months (surely he could play on no longer than that) that could have been given to a Ferguson etc.

 

[Spark]

Please not Ferguson. I'd rather White. In fact as far as I'm concerned White is the next cab off the rank.

 

[howardj]

Im happy with that cab, rather than the our current clapped out school bus (Ponting).