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| April 28, 2007 | Saturday | Rabi-us-Sani 10, 1428 |
Ponting thrives on great expectations
BRIDGETOWN, April 27: If the critics were to be believed, skipper Ricky Ponting came to the World Cup in charge of a team in danger of decline after humbling series defeats to England and New Zealand.
But they reckoned without the character and steely resolve of the man nicknamed Punter who has always backed himself and his side to overcome obstacles.
He's been proved right with the double defending world champions having cruised into their fourth successive World Cup final.
Ponting enjoys a fight.
He kept his career on track despite off-field indiscretions in the 1990s.
He also overcame the shock loss of the cherished Ashes in 2005 to reclaim them in a stunning 5-0 whitewash of England last winter.
Even the pressures of captaincy haven't told on Ponting. He is the third highest run-maker at the World Cup with 502 runs and an average of 71.71, taking his career ODI total to 10,358 runs in the process.
Ponting missed the disastrous Chappell-Hadlee series on the eve of the World Cup when the listing Australians capitulated to a 3-0 defeat and unhinged team confidence and morale in the countdown to the Caribbean.
He missed that trip because of back trouble, that originated last November during the first Test against England in Brisbane.
He needed three cortisone injections just after Australia's tri-series loss to England to reduce inflammation caused by bone spurs in his spine.
Ponting was always crucial to Australia's chances of turning around a bewildering change in fortunes after dominating England and New Zealand in the home tri-series, only to go down three times in a row to England in the final and lose their first home one-day series in 14 years.
In Ponting's absence, Australia's bowlers were then battered by New Zealand's batsmen in the Chappell-Hadlee series while conceding two of the three biggest run chases in one-day history in crashing to a disastrous series sweep.
But he's back in style and so is his team. Ponting is playing in his fourth World Cup.
His unbeaten innings of 140 off 121 balls helped Australia beat India in the last World Cup final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg in 2003.—AFP
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