Cricket: Spirit sorcery and Ponting

Ponting has been a good batsman. He has been lucky one too,for a while he use to come one down following a swash buckler like Langer or the Big Oak like Colossus in Hayden. One loves to hate him and grudgingly accept that he has done well. He likely to zoom past Tendulkar’s record in test cricket on current form. His record as a batsman and his fielding skills will remain enviable for the next couple of years.

Ponting now has to steer a ship in the absence of big sails like Hayden, McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist, Langer and Martyn, who have retired from the game that’s a tough task in itself. But absence of these once in a generation players proves how much the team he use to captain was pretty much on auto pilot. India having dented Aussies in Australia, Ponting has turned from being excellent batsmen to a decent captain, to a poor sorcerer,he has started invoking spirit of the game at wrong points in time.

I mean to hell with the spirit of the game, most fans who have followed Australia have explored too deep in the new territories pushed the envelope a bit too far. Peter Roebuck had something nasty to say about him when India lost the infamous test which Steve Bucknor won’t forget any easily either. I think that whole match was a turning point in starting of descent of Ponting & Co. The subsequently lost to SAFs.The fallout of that was Andrew Symonds who was mentally disintegrated.

The following season Indian tour gave Ponting enough opportunity as a leader who could challenge none other than George (W) Bush himself to some of the most bizzare, un Aussie like judgments. I think it is from that point onwards that I started to believe that if anyone can give George W Bush a run for his money it has to be Ricky Ponting. I won’t be surprised if they both go for it and it is photo finish. Ricky Ponting has to be what Bush is/was to politics. You want to disavow what he said or does but wanna have a hearty laugh as well

I think he tried to provide every justification is Australia losses other than accepting the fallacy of him as the captain. Sorry Ricky just gets on with the game. Invoking spirits of the game wont help, you made horrendous tome of it some of the decision by leaving out Stuart Clarke one of the things that decided the out come of the game. Aussies would have done anything if they were in the spot which English found or almost forced themselves into. Bopara is good (no doubt?), but Collingwood should be batting one down, he is the best English batsmen on current form. Pietersen being the stroke player will get you runs make foundation of scoring big and quick but it is people like Collingwood that will finish it for England.

I think the first test was drawn because of improper team selection.

I think more drama is expected in this Ashes series.

This was a second edit.