Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Ponting: Bazball left Australia searching for answers

Written by 
Published in Cricket
Thursday, 17 August 2023 19:55
Australia were left "scratching the head" about how to combat Bazball as the Ashes series went on, according to Ricky Ponting who believed the final 2-2 scoreline was a fair result. Ponting although remained adamant that the controversial ball change at The Oval played a decisive hand.
Two days of rain at Old Trafford enabled them to retain the Ashes after being plundered for 592 at 5.49 an over before their chance of a first Ashes series win in the country since 2001 slipped away on a dramatic final day at The Oval where an earlier change of ball brought England's quick bowlers back into the game.

"The two contrasting styles of play were great to sit back and watch," Ponting told the SEN Tassie breakfast show which is co-hosted by former Australia captain Tim Paine. "There was a lot of talk about Bazball and how England would approach it, and would that style stand up against the quality of the Australian attack - looking back, it probably did.

"It probably had some of the Australian players, coaches and the captain at different times scratching their head as to how they were going to combat it. Think the 2-2 result, albeit probably slightly biased with a bit of controversy in that last Test with the ball changed the way that it was, that gifted England some conditions they probably shouldn't have got, think the level of cricket played across the series, the 2-2 result was probably fair."

While Chris Woakes, who was named the Compton-Miller medalist as Player of the Series despite appearing in just three matches, and Mark Wood had huge impacts after coming into the side, Ponting pinpointed England's sustained aggression with the bat as the key element in their fightback.

"It was more their top-order batting, I think, [that] we struggled to come to grips with," he said. "The way that Crawley and Duckett were able to play at the start of every innings, really, they got England off to flying starts and put pressure straight back on the Australian attack. When that momentum started to build it was hard for the Australians to rein it back in.

"Zak Crawley has got to take a lot of credit, he was the one going into the series who was under the most pressure. That 180 he got at Manchester was as good a Test match batting as you could seeas I said it had [Pat Cummins] and the boys scratching their heads as to how they were going to bowl at him.

"Think even the Australian boys might be sitting back and looking at the way they played, [and asking] what can we do a little bit better to combat that in the future. Think a lot of other countries around the world might be looking at it as well and saying if we want to compete with Australia maybe this is the way we have to go."

Ponting backed the selection calls made by Australia throughout the series and praised Cummins' ability to get through six matches including the World Test Championship final against India, although he did think there may be some new faces introduced to the bowling attack over the next 12 months.

"As the series wore on, Cummo was probably the pick again, but Starcy was outstanding," he said. "There were some questions about whether Pat could get through those six Tests and keep his intensity up; there might have been a bit of a flat spot when he was under a bit of attack at Manchester but the way he bounced back in the last Test, his pace at the start of the last Test was the best it's been for a long time, so he kept coming.

"As it went on, felt to me like they could have brought [Michael] Neser in at some stage in the right conditions. But I think what they did selection wise was right. We know there is enough [depth] underneath these guys, [Lance] Morris and those guys sitting back in the wings. Think we've got enough there and at different times I reckon through the next 12 months we might see some different faces in our bowling line-up."

Read 106 times

Soccer

Man City face 'tough' season after late collapse

Man City face 'tough' season after late collapse

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPep Guardiola said Manchester City are in for a "tough" season afte...

Man City need more than Haaland as season sits on knife's edge

Man City need more than Haaland as season sits on knife's edge

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMANCHESTER, England -- For 75 minutes on Tuesday night, Manchester...

10-man PSG drop to 26th in narrow loss to Bayern

10-man PSG drop to 26th in narrow loss to Bayern

Bayern Munich battled past 10-man Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the Champions League thanks to Kim Min-...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Giannis out vs. Heat due to pregame knee issue

Giannis out vs. Heat due to pregame knee issue

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMIAMI -- Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for Tues...

Sources: Kings closing in on deal for Crowder

Sources: Kings closing in on deal for Crowder

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFree-agent forward Jae Crowder is close to a deal with the Sacramen...

Baseball

Dodgers split $46M from record MLB playoff pool

Dodgers split $46M from record MLB playoff pool

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- A full postseason share for the World Series champion L...

Starter or reliever? Stay with the Phillies or go elsewhere? All-Star Jeff Hoffman opens up on free agency

Starter or reliever? Stay with the Phillies or go elsewhere? All-Star Jeff Hoffman opens up on free agency

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsJeff Hoffman is one of the most sought-after relievers in this offs...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated