February 23, 2007	Friday	Safar 5, 1428

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

SYDNEY, Feb 22: Australia captain Ricky Ponting has come up with a simple solution to end his team's habit of failing to defend massive totals - bat second.

Australia have been on the wrong end of the four biggest run-chases in one-day cricket history, all in the past 14 months, raising concerns about the ability of their bowlers to contain the opposition when they are throwing caution to the wind.

The side has generally followed conventional thinking by batting first when they win the toss but Ponting said they may have to consider changing their policy when they get to the West Indies for next month's World Cup.

"We're going to come up against some small grounds in the World Cup, so the consideration of batting second in one-day cricket is something to think about," Ponting told a business lunch in Sydney on Thursday. "That straight away eases a bit of the pressure on the bowlers."

Ponting was one of five senior Australian players who missed the team's short tour of New Zealand, where they were beaten 3-0.

He accepted the team had not played at its best but dismissed suggestions they were on the slide because they had lost five games in a row. "I don't think the team's in any dire straits at the moment," he said. "We've had a few injuries and lost a few guys, but I'm pretty confident that we'll be ultra competitive in every game we play.”

Ponting said the five defeats had not reduced his confidence in the team but admitted they have boosted the morale of their opponents.

"I think other teams around the world will be thinking Australia are beatable now, where only a few weeks ago everybody was wondering how any other team in the world was going to compete with us," Ponting said. "We've got some areas we need to address, but we've got a little bit of time now.” —Agencies