How good is Ponting's pull shot?

[dontcloseyoureyes]

94 on Metacritic.

I went and saw it today, very average, no plot twists, too same from start to finish. 6/10 #pontingspullshot

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

In other news, Watto is better ner ner nerrr

 

[Lostman]

The guy has got out to a bouncer/shortish delivery 11 times in the last 3 years of which 9 times playing a pull shot, and twice fending.

How you pull up stats for dismissals by shot
memory or some database?

 

[Richard]

It would be possible to look-up but it'd probably require some amount of memory-bank inspiration to set such a look-up off.

 

[Furball]

It would be possible to look-up but it'd probably require some amount of memory-bank inspiration to set such a look-up off.

Given the way cricinfo have their scorecards now, it will probably be reasonably possible now to do so.

 

[GIMH]

I went and saw it today, very average, no plot twists, too same from start to finish. 6/10 #pontingspullshot

 

[Hit_Wicket]

Pretty much agree with those saying it's not what it used to be, but it's still productive for him.

It's a favourite shot of his, but it's also a risky shot in general.

AWTA.

Chris Gayle seems to think he's onto something, though.

How the Windies exposed Punter - Australia - Fox Sports

 

[jeevan]

- Firstly all 4 test match pitches played the same. All where roads (although Nagpur began to turn alot on the last day).

- Ponting did not look like a bunny in the next 3 test . He just good some very good balls especially from Sharma in the second test & a big turning off-break from Harbhajan in the 4th test. His batting againts the spin was very solid throughout the series.

Ponting could have easily got a second hundred in the 3rd test.

-Thirdly which let off are you speaking of?. That was a chanceless hundred..

IOW he played well against Harbhajan in just one innings?
Next 3 innings he got out to Ishant Sharma for 17,5,2 (i.e. he wasnt Harbhajan's bunny because he was Ishant's)
The 3rd test, Harbhajan wasnt playing and while he made a 50, so did every other top 5Australian batsman.
The 4th test, i.e. the very next chance Harbhajan has a crack at him - he gets out again (for 23) and run out for 8 in the last innings.

So he has bested Harbhajan in India just once, and other Indian spinners in India (i.e. when Harbhajan wasnt playing) on just one other occasion in 2008 which also happens to be one when every other Aus batsman cashed in and two Indian batsmen got double tons.

Prior to that series, Ponting averages 13 in India over 14 innings in 3 series (96,98,2001).
Care to apply the same standards (must do it over and over) to Ponting that you apply to other folks like Sehwag?

 

[aussie]

Reckon he's not quite as whip-quick as he used to be (shock!) and he knows it so it's affected his decision-making, hence why he seems to be getting hit more often and going out to the pull.

Happens to everyone. Even AB, as good a puller as anyone for many years, put it in the cupboard towards the end.

Ye obviously with age every batsman will slow down in some area etc

But I remember Ponting (at his then peak as some of claimed) being hit by Harmison @ Lords 05 & Akhtar @ Perth 04 & i think sometime during the SA 05/06 tour by either Ntini or Nel (i could be wrong here). I think rather we should give young Roach with his very skiddy action credit for troubling Ponting -instead of claiming he has lost touch - which there is no valid proof of in recent years.

In the Perth test as you should remember when Roach hit him - Ponting responded with 464 in the next over, he only retired because the pain was too much & he couldn't grip the bat well.

 

[G.I.Joe]

In the Perth test as you should remember when Roach hit him - Ponting responded with 464 in the next over, he only retired because the pain was too much & he couldn't grip the bat well.

Lara's record was shattered and no one informed me?

 

[GIMH]

 

[Top_Cat]

Ye obviously with age every batsman will slow down in some area etc

But I remember Ponting (at his then peak as some of claimed) being hit by Harmison @ Lords 05 & Akhtar @ Perth 04 & i think sometime during the SA 05/06 tour by either Ntini or Nel (i could be wrong here). I think rather we should give young Roach with his very skiddy action credit for troubling Ponting -instead of claiming he has lost touch - which there is no valid proof of in recent years.

In the Perth test as you should remember when Roach hit him - Ponting responded with 464 in the next over, he only retired because the pain was too much & he couldn't grip the bat well.

Still reckon there's a bit of a decline, myself. That said, even then, he's still one of the best players of the shot on the planet which is why it takes someone super quick to get up him. Years ago, though, Ponting was playing the shot against quicker bowlers without looking in real trouble most of the time.

A couple of good shots proves very little, especially considering the 6 was more edge than middle. Distinctly remember Ponting smashing Harby for a 6 while he was busing wrecking the Aussie batting order in 2001. Looked utterly out of his depth otherwise and popped a catch to silly mid next over.

Mate, it happens to everyone. Even Ritchie Richardson started wearing a helmet after a while. Anecdotally, I don't see how anyone can doubt it. There are reasons why he's been targeted with short balls of late.

 

[Sir Alex]

Definitely his reflexes have slowed down. What used to be one of his staple runscoring shot is turning out to be his disadvantage. Gayle is quite apt on that observation. The successes of Roach and ishant sharma shows how Punter's judgement factor is kind of become slow especially to short and rising deliveries. He got out to Ishant mainly due to going on the frontfoot and now to correct that he has gone back to playing the pull/hook to such deliveries but not succeeding too much either.

 

[Burgey]

I imagine Ponting would still rather have blokes run in and bang the ball in half way down than bowl a decent length on off stump, especially early in his innings.

 

[Top_Cat]

I imagine Ponting would still rather have blokes run in and bang the ball in half way down than bowl a decent length on off stump, especially early in his innings.

Pretty sure that only applies < 35.

Seriously, it might not just be a problem of concentration/technique. Ponting's been bashing the quickest bowlers to all parts for 10 years now. Must eventually get a bit passe when you've proved yourself over and over.

 

[Burgey]

Nah, he's got to keep proving himself. He's not allowed a decline, or else his legacy blah blah blah.

You know how it goes mate....

 

[silentstriker]

It'll be interesting how Pakistan approach him.

 

[aussie]

Haha this is ridiculous. Firstly since 2001 after Ponting failed the drum beat was that Ponting couldn't play spin in IND or anywhere on a turner (always ignoring how he did very well vs Mural in 99). Thus unless he scored a hundred in IND he will always have a black on his record. He scored a hundred & now people still have issues?? MY GODD

IOW he played well against Harbhajan in just one innings?

Handling Harbhajan well doesn't mean scoring a hundred EVERY innings againts him sir. It was fairly evident Ponting play againts Harbhajan was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy improved from his struggles in 2001.

Next 3 innings he got out to Ishant Sharma for 17,5,2 (i.e. he wasnt Harbhajan's bunny because he was Ishant's)

Ha yea Sharma got him out with some real beauties. Khan & Sharma troubled the ENITRE AUS batting with the reverse swing they got in that tests. It wasn't Ponting alone.

Plus how does Ponting being troubled by a fast-bowler have anything to do with his improvement againts spin?

The 3rd test, Harbhajan wasnt playing and while he made a 50, so did every other top 5Australian batsman.

So what if Harbhajan wasn't palying?. Wasn't the argument Ponting can't play spin period?.

Plus why does the fact that the entire AUS top 5 making runs make the innings less significant?.

Admittedly the thirst test was on a real road 7 wasn't a turner, but again Ponting play againts Mishra/Kumble etc was clearly much improved. So i dont see the issue.

The 4th test, i.e. the very next chance Harbhajan has a crack at him - he gets out again (for 23) and run out for 8 in the last innings.

Yea by a delivery that spun alarmingly out of the rough that probably would have gotten any right hander out.

Harbhajan Singh to Ponting, OUT, Harbhajan has taken out Ponting. Wicket no 300 for Bhaji. It landed outside off stump on a length. Ponting shaped to cut it but was stunned as the ball turned in, cramped him and hit the top of the off stump. This is the tenth time he has dismissed Ricky. This is the first time he has bowled Ponting and It was Harbhajan 200th wicket in India.

RT Ponting b Harbhajan Singh 24 (45m 41b 3x4 0x6) SR: 58.53

So its not as if Harbhajan bowled him like a fool or anything in that innings..

So he has bested Harbhajan in India just once, and other Indian spinners in India (i.e. when Harbhajan wasnt playing) on just one other occasion in 2008 which also happens to be one when every other Aus batsman cashed in and two Indian batsmen got double tons.

Foolish reasoning...See above

Prior to that series, Ponting averages 13 in India over 14 innings in 3 series (96,98,2001).
Care to apply the same standards (must do it over and over) to Ponting that you apply to other folks like Sehwag?

HA...

- Firstly you can't compare Ponting failures in IND 96,98, 2001 to what he eventually accomplished in 2008. Since on those past tours he was still not a complete batsman, was batting @ 6 & was in & out of the team during those initial years of his test career. Ponting didn't peak as batsman until Ashes 01 (the 4th test @ Headlingley to be exact) when he became a number # 3.

So in essecen you talking about a young Ponting between 96-2001 & accomplished great in 2008. Its two different players.


- Secondly i have never applied the must "do it over & over" standard to Sehwag. It is impossible for any batsman of this 2000s era to do it over & over (i.e score runs againts quality pace attacks in testing conditions over & over) since this has/was an era of flat pitches.

The most batsmen can do is the few times they come up againts such conditions. They would have to succeed in them like what the likes of Ponting, Dravid & KP etc for eg have done. If they dont they will have the FTB tag hanging over them.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Everyone over the past 10 years has been so wary of the Ponting pull shot, it would be interesting to see how it held up if it were targeted.

 

[silentstriker]

Yea, that's one of those things - if something was your strength and became your weakness, how that would work. Like if bowling onto the pads of some Indian batsmen started yielding LBWs, I wonder how many bowlers would take the chance of getting clobbered.

I think despite the general riskiness of the shot, and Ponting's waning ability, if I were an opposition captain and Ponting came up to bat, I don't know if I'd tell my bowlers to bowl short. I'd probably start him on spin - regardless of what people say in that other thread, I feel Ponting is real weak against spin early in his innings. Maybe from both ends if I had two spinners. If not, then I think just standard outside off stump would be more productive. I probably wouldn't take the chance of bowling too many short ones. Sometimes targetting something like that can have the opposite effect, and if you bowl bad short deliveries, or he happens to hit couple good shots - which happen to be his favorite - it can just help him get his eye in and give him confidence. And once a batsman of that quality gets his eye in, and is feeling confident, generally you're in trouble.