Australian cricketers refused to blame beleaguered captain Ricky Ponting for the deflating Ashes loss to England as they returned home yesterday.
Fast bowler Stuart Clark, one of a handful of players not required for the limited-overs series in England and Scotland, said calls to replace the Australina captain were “ludicrous.”
“Ricky Ponting has got my full support and I think he’s the best man to be captain,” he told reporters at Sydney Airport. “I think it’s ludicrous that anyone says anything other.”
Opening batsman Simon Katich said the whole team must take responsibility for the second successive failure in England, both under Ponting, which toppled Australia from their long-held No. 1 Test ranking.
“There was 11 of us out there that had an opportunity to win the Ashes — you can’t just blame it on one person,” Katich said. “We had our chances throughout the whole five Tests. Unfortunately, when those chances came around, whether it was Cardiff, Lord’s, The Oval, we didn’t grab them.”
Cricket Australia has backed Ponting to stay in the job despite calls for Michael Clarke, Katich or even retired spin-master Shane Warne to take over.
Meanwhile, Ponting, who is due to arrive home later, insisted he “couldn’t be more excited about the future” in an article for the Australian newspaper.
“While we had bad sessions at Lord’s and The Oval which cost us both games, we completely dominated England at Cardiff and Leeds, showing there was little between the teams,” the captain wrote. “Coming off the back of our strong series victory in South Africa earlier in the year, I believe we’re on the right track and our younger players can only get better with experience.”
Australian media was left fuming over the defeat, with most anger directed at the selection panel.
“What hurts more than seeing England partying after a stunning Ashes win? Seeing the Poms not hit the tiles after an Ashes triumph,” said Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, referring to England’s toned-down celebrations.
BUMRAH WATCH: Captain Jasprit Bumrah left the SCG for scans for back spasms and although he returned to the ground, there was no word on if he would play Rishabh Pant’s blistering counterattack yesterday capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final Test between Australia and India, with 15 wickets falling and the star bowler of the series leaving the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. “Low-scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so long way still to go,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’s gonna be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens.” Australia were bowled out for
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
RSS