Ponting: I'm bigger than the team and the game

What an arsehole. LINK

And which bonehead at CricAus signed a bloke in his mid 30s to a two year contract six months ago?

FFS.

Well he can't keep failing with the bat and as Captain if he wants to carry on.

Sydney will be his last test. I think these days it's not good as far as sponsors are concerned to hint that you are going to call it a day for fear that they will bail on you.

It seems that the two-year contract is only for him as a player, not as captain. There's nothing (other than arrogance) stopping him from playing on if he's canned as skipper.

The article says CA would have to pay out his contract, that would only be the case if they dropped him completely. If they stripped him of the captaincy, but continued to select him as a batsman, that wouldn't have to happen.

Australia don't do picking former captains do they? As far as I can remember they either retire of their own accord or just don't get picked again.

Drunky might have been an exception if they had taken the captaincy off him a couple of years ago or even after 2009, but as things stand I'm not sure what good having him back in the ranks would do... the contract does seem a crazy decision, even though in England we've tended to criticise the selectors for making it harder to get out of the side than in it we only give players 12-month central contracts.

Talking of criticising our selectors, if some on here had their way we might have had a couple of county nobodies out here instead of KP and Cook, and said random replacement batsmen might even have been averaging less than 100 this series!

I'm happy to say I always stuck by both Cook and KP. Bell too in recent times (ie the last year).

ponting is kind of obsessed with leading australia in ashes 2013 isnt he? doubt he will step down on his own
might be a steve waugh situation post world cup, where he is basically told to retire or the selectors will drop him

The drunk idiot is safe, even when he becomes the first Australian captain in more than 120 years to lose 3 Ashes Series

Thunderandlightningqunt.

beamer wrote:Australia don't do picking former captains do they? As far as I can remember they either retire of their own accord or just don't get picked again.

Didn't Chappelli play under his brother?

Ian handed over to Greg for the last three tests before his retirement in 1976.

Of course, he played another three tests under his brother in 1980 during the first summer after World Series Cricket - an exceptional circumstance.

Richie Benaud played under Bobbie Simpson in his last test. Simpson had taken over when Benaud was out injured the test before and Richie thought it made sense for Simpson to continue in that role.

I wonder if Ponting would ever have the grace to do something like that?

Hass wrote:Ian handed over to Greg for the last three tests before his retirement in 1976.

Of course, he played another three tests under his brother in 1980 during the first summer after World Series Cricket - an exceptional circumstance.

Richie Benaud played under Bobbie Simpson in his last test. Simpson had taken over when Benaud was out injured the test before and Richie thought it made sense for Simpson to continue in that role.

I wonder if Ponting would ever have the grace to do something like that?

Do you really need to ask that question.

I really think ponting is being a little misjudged in all this...his behaviour compares most favourably with the surly Ksnr and even Tubbies' desperate attempts to hang on (while Ksnr was knifing him)

To be fair, when the alternative is Michael Clarke, who would blame Ponting for wanting the captaincy back straight away?

Hass wrote:Ian handed over to Greg for the last three tests before his retirement in 1976.

Of course, he played another three tests under his brother in 1980 during the first summer after World Series Cricket - an exceptional circumstance.

Richie Benaud played under Bobbie Simpson in his last test. Simpson had taken over when Benaud was out injured the test before and Richie thought it made sense for Simpson to continue in that role.

I wonder if Ponting would ever have the grace to do something like that?

Didn't Richie once make a comment suggesting Bradman had a hand in his "retirement" due to the Meckiff affair.

Zat wrote:What an arsehole. LINK

And which bonehead at CricAus signed a bloke in his mid 30s to a two year contract six months ago?

FFS.

The same boneheads who've presided over this sucssesion mess. The same boneheads who decided on our Ashes lead-up and the same boneheads who keep re-appointing Hilditch.

Henry wrote:To be fair, when the alternative is Michael Clarke, who would blame Ponting for wanting the captaincy back straight away?

You took the words right out of my mouth..as the song goes.

Is Ricky Ponting the Julia Gillard of Australian cricket - only keeping the top job because the touted alternative is worse?

The crazy thing is that if Punter does lead them in 2013 and loses yet another series in England, his reputation will be in tatters. It will haunt him forever. With his advancing years and the state of Aussie cricket, it's hard to see it not ending in tears.

BTW, what were Punter and Chappellg talking about at lunch today?

The latter looked pretty serious and intense. Maybe he was putting the hard word on him.

Red wrote:The crazy thing is that if Punter does lead them in 2013 and loses yet another series in England, his reputation will be in tatters. It will haunt him forever. With his advancing years and the state of Aussie cricket, it's hard to see it not ending in tears.

BTW, what were Punter and Chappellg talking about at lunch today?

The latter looked pretty serious and intense. Maybe he was putting the hard word on him.

My guess is that if England win the next test, Ponting will be sacked.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:The crazy thing is that if Punter does lead them in 2013 and loses yet another series in England, his reputation will be in tatters. It will haunt him forever. With his advancing years and the state of Aussie cricket, it's hard to see it not ending in tears.

BTW, what were Punter and Chappellg talking about at lunch today?

The latter looked pretty serious and intense. Maybe he was putting the hard word on him.

My guess is that if England win the next test, Ponting will be sacked.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:The crazy thing is that if Punter does lead them in 2013 and loses yet another series in England, his reputation will be in tatters. It will haunt him forever. With his advancing years and the state of Aussie cricket, it's hard to see it not ending in tears.

BTW, what were Punter and Chappellg talking about at lunch today?

The latter looked pretty serious and intense. Maybe he was putting the hard word on him.

My guess is that if England win the next test, Ponting will be sacked.

And replaced with who/what - Neil Kinnick's tub of lard?

Fred Nerk wrote:

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:The crazy thing is that if Punter does lead them in 2013 and loses yet another series in England, his reputation will be in tatters. It will haunt him forever. With his advancing years and the state of Aussie cricket, it's hard to see it not ending in tears.

BTW, what were Punter and Chappellg talking about at lunch today?

The latter looked pretty serious and intense. Maybe he was putting the hard word on him.

My guess is that if England win the next test, Ponting will be sacked.

And replaced with who/what - Neil Kinnick's tub of lard?

No idea tbh. But it is clear you are going nowhere fast under Ponting's leadership.

Are there no State captains that can do the job?

Errrrr .............. North !
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runs and hides

Forward planning might see frinstance Cameron White of Victoria, who played in the A game and made runs and is a highly experienced cricketer and captain, and has played Test cricket, brought in to replace North for the Perth Test, and a more pro-active NSP would name him VC immediately and sod what Captain Lamebrain or Clarke thought about it.

Another possibility for that sort of role at the start of the season was George Bailey of Tasmania, but he has been batting like a busted arse most of the summer and he would have to show massive improvement in form to be considered,. although he has the temperament and the ability. He has yet to play any cricket for Australia.

Fred Nerk wrote:Forward planning might see frinstance Cameron White of Victoria, who played in the A game and made runs and is a highly experienced cricketer and captain, and has played Test cricket, brought in to replace North for the Perth Test, and a more pro-active NSP would name him VC immediately and sod what Captain Lamebrain or Clarke thought about it.

Another possibility for that sort of role at the start of the season was George Bailey of Tasmania, but he has been batting like a busted arse most of the summer and he would have to show massive improvement in form to be considered,. although he has the temperament and the ability. He has yet to play any cricket for Australia.

Just remembering how Brearley turned England around in a certain Ashes series. Just think some bold step is needed.