Ponting-baiting: the new national sport

Some years ago, Michael Slater, one of the finest opening batsmen Australia have had, was going through a rough time in his career. His marriage was breaking up, his form was going, he was drinking and there were allegations of drug abuse, which he denied. There was also the ridiculous and unfair suggestion that he had fathered Adam Gilchrist's child, which put further strain on him. Slater was suffering from depression and panic attacks and later admitted that he was bipolar. It was a tough time for him.

In one state match during this period, Shane Warne and Darren Berry, of Victoria, decided it would be a smart idea to suggest that Slater, playing for New South Wales, was a time bomb waiting to go off. As he batted, Warne and Berry started alternately saying "tick... tock... tick... tock". It started to wind Slater up. And it went on for several overs.

Eventually, Slater got impatient, played a rash stroke and was dismissed. As he walked off, he glared at Warne and Berry, who said in unison: "Kaboom".

Such is the school of hard knocks that is Australian cricket. No sympathy for the weak. Mental disintegration is what matters. I wonder whether we can use this against them in this Ashes?

Ricky Ponting, I would suggest, is another time bomb. While he does not have the off-field issues that Slater had, he clearly has some anger-management problems - remember his rant at the England balcony at Trent Bridge in 2005, which cost him 75% of his match fee. On Sunday, his frustration after failing to dismiss England's last pair with 69 balls - and who can blame him as England had been comprehensively outplayed all game? - boiled over.

Some Australians are choosing to ignore the comments that Ponting made in the immediate aftermath of the Cardiff disappointment about England playing against the spirit of the game. They focus on the more tempered, gracious and uninflammatory comments he made in the press conference. Fair enough, Ponting is a sensible man and on reflection he quite rightly decided not to make an issue of it.

And this is also the point to admit that the media - both English and Australian - decided to ignore Ponting's reflective comments and seize instead on his Woodfull (or Kumble) style rant. Yes, no one does hysteria or hypocrisy better than we hacks.

 

But look at the pictures of Ponting as the twelfth man, Bilal Shafayat, and physio run on. He is fuming. Did this affect his judgment? At the very most Australia would have had time for only one more over if there had not been the incursions. Sure, they may have got the crucial wicket in those six balls, but they may not. What surprised me was that Ponting did not give the ball to his more potent bowlers - Hilfenhaus and Johnson - and used Marcus North at the close. Was this because North would take less time to bowl his overs and thus more could be got in? Was Ponting mentally disintegrating and failing to realise the best course of action?

It seems a very un-Australian approach to go for as many chances as possible and hope that something comes off. Never mind how many balls you bowl, Ricky. You only need one good one. Quality not quantity and all that.

This explains his immediate reaction afterwards. "They can play whatever way they want to play," huffed the man who has been fined for breaking the ICC Code of Conduct six times. "We came to play by the rules and the spirit of the game. It's up to them to do what they want to do."

It is right at this point to insert a disclaimer. What England did with the gloves and the physio was pretty low and I wish they hadn't felt the need. But as Nathan Hauritz said yesterday: Australia would have done the same thing.

Ponting's frustration was magnified because above anything else, he desperately wants to beat England in England. It will prove his capabilities as a captain. No one denies him his place among the immortals as a batsman. Personally, I am a fan. But as a captain? Well, until he beats England in England, even that 5-0 will not place him among the great Australian captains. Perhaps only beating India in India would mean more to him, so it is easy to understand and to sympathise with him when not everything falls into place.

But the fact that he was clearly angered and wounded in the aftermath of defeat, well that is something we can work on. Operation Wind Up Ponting should be launched. It may be unsporting but it could undermine Australia as it did in 2005. Where's Gary Pratt these days? Pay Harbhajan Singh to walk past Ponting every morning. Get Bilal Shafayat into every press conference. Dress the England physio up as a tea lady (he has the bosom for it). Mental disintegration. Every reminder of his failures will move Ponting closer to kaboom.

Tick... tock... tick... tock... Hey, Ricky, what's the score? Tick... tock...

Comments

[johnmc]

Call me a pessimist but I'm more worried about what he might do to our bowlers if they don't produce a much better performance at Lord's. The only way to put pressure on Ponting the captain is to get close to Australia, which we obviously were not in Cardiff.

I don't think there was much wrong in what he said after the match either. England's antics weren't too impressive, even if they were within the rules and, after 7 hours in the field, it's not too surprising that Ponting was less than diplomatic

[Alec, London]

The sight of the Barmy Army trumpeter playing the great escape in his face as the Aussies got off the team bus put me in two minds....

On the one hand I thought was hilarious, and can only see these little things chipping away to the point where, as you say, he could explode.

But at the same time, don't we just want to rise above it all and beat these guys in the traditional score more runs, take more wickets way?

But in conclusion, the fact Ponting is oblivious to some of the odious behaviour by his own players during his time as captain, and claims his side are the only ones playing in the spirit of the game, leans me towards agreeing with your campaign ... within reason.

[Oze_male]

Ponting is a bit of an embarassment as Aussie captain. I remember when the West Indies held on to beat us (by one wicket?)in the Carribean and Steve Waugh managed to hide his disappointment long enough to say he'd played in one of the most exciting test matches ever. Could Ponting ever do that? No. I say that we should play hard but be magnanimous in defeat or, in this case, congratulate Monty and Swann for hanging on against the odds. Can't wait until Lords!

[Lou Otway]

I'm not an aussie but in my mind the most likely explosion from Ricky Ponting is an explosion of runs.

Top players don't worry too much about what other people say and will often use it as motivation instead.

Instead of winding him into a run-scoring frenzy, perhaps we should congratulate him and hope for a bit of complacency? England could do without having to chase after 500+ runs against these guys for a change.

[Mark]

Australia missed a trick when they appointed Ponting over Warne as Captain. I suspect their very good results over the last five years would have been excellent results.

[Dan]

Ponting is clearly feeling the strain. Being the obsessive little bleeder that he is, he won't be able to put the first test out of his mind. This sense of injustice will gnaw away at him, and England's players should do their best to remind him of this fact over and over and over again. Bring back Fletcher as taunter in chief, I say.

[Max]

While I think Ponting has a legitimate point .. you guys were blantantly time-wasting .. but ultimately we didn't win the test because our bowlers simply weren't (quite) good enough.

It's hard to imagine the same outcome had McGrath and Warne still be roling their arms over. While they were great players .. and part of most successful test team in history .. their on-field behaviour often disgusted me.

To be great players is one thing .. but to conduct yourself like a champion is another.

But you Poms have forfeited the right to lecture anyone about playing morals. Your bowlers were the key in 2005 .. we never could get on top of you and your reverse swing.

But remember, this superiority was achieved thru' cheating.

Remember how Trescothick spent the summer 'polishing' the ball with saliva illegally enhanced by the sweets he and other team members were sucking?

Call me pedantic, but I've always been taught that ball tampering was a no-no .. performed only by players reduced to cheating. By the way, what is it with you guys and sweets? If it's not mints falling out of pockets, it's jelly beans mysteriously appearing on the pitch.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought ball tampering was the reason behind the abandoned test against Pakistan.

Is is purely coincidental that since this practice has been made public, your bowling attack hasn't been anywhere near as lethal?

We Aussies aren't exactly innoncent in many areas of on-field behaviour, excessive appealing, etc. But you guys don't exactly occupy the moral highground on cheating and bending of the rules.

[Bruce]

Ponting's not perfect. Who is?

[raj]

I thought there would well-timed "Well bowled, Bhajji" when Swann bowls to Ponting. England obviously are missing a trick

[Rob]

Yes, the twelfth man debacle does not reflect very well on England; maybe not quite as pathetic as the jelly beans incident, but still, blaming a juice spillage will never look good.

And who could disagree with Honest Rick? Here's a man, as fair and decent as could be, who knows how important it is to get as much play into the day as possible. Well, apart from the time he was fined for his side bowling unreasonably slowly; a minor abberation, though, from a man of unquestionable standing in the game. Or rather, twenty minor abberations.

I also feel we should be grateful to Ricky Ponting, Friend of the People, Saviour of Honesty in Cricket, for pointing out that the ninety seconds stolen by England are entirely to blame for Australia's failure to win the match.

Thank you, Sir Ricky. For a moment there we all thought that it might have something to do with his bowlers being completely unable to dismiss one of the worst batsmen in test cricket.

All hail, then, Ponting the Pure.

[James Sheldon]

Fair enough... If this is the only way England can beat the Australians.

Just remember, if it wasn't for Simon Jones - you lot wouldn't have had a hope in 2005.

[Damien]

Hey Patrick, I have a bunch of straws over here if you want to grasp them. I'd rather have a captain who is mentally unhinged rather than some boring old flat footed Strauss who resembled a sack of potatoes in Cardiff. Poor old Andrew "biscuit' Flintoff will have to carry this team all summer...

[Matt]

Let's get a few things straight. This is very poor "journalism" and well below the standard we used to expect from the Times.

Firstly, Hauritz never said Australia would have done the same. He said *he* would not face up to balls as quickly as usual, if he were in that position. Thats a massive difference.

Then there are those who say Australia did the same at OT in 2005 when the 12th man ran out to Glenn McGrath. However, this is also being economical with the truth, since in that game it was a matter of overs left to be bowled and time played no role. The message was also legitimate, telling McGrath to get back in his crease after shots - not a pat on the back from a waddling physio.

Australians would never pull such an underhanded ploy in the modern era, if only for the moral caning they would receive at home. And this is the most appalling issue here. Rather than pour scorn and disapproval on Strauss' underhanded ploy, the english media has joined him in trying to reletavise and justify his pathetic stunt. What has happened to the once proud England of old?

At the end of the day England was saved by the rain. You'd better pray for a wet summer.

[rosemary, australia]

Shouldn't you be trying to 'wind up' Strauss? His captaincy was soporific.

Ponting was booed by the crowd, scored 150 runs, was man of the match, almost pulled off a win despite a pretty average Australian team, rain delays and time wasting at the end and...is criticised for 'frustration'

He has also got rid of the sledging that went ballistic under Steve Waugh's captaincy and has supported Symonds through his alcohol abuse and racial vilification

Does this really sound like a player who is vulnerable to baiting?

[johnmc]

Max - never let the facts get in the way of a good whine. The Trescothick mint-sucking incident refers to 2001 (when we were thumped), not 2005 and it came to light in 2008 by which time England's bowling attack had already falling well below 2005's standards

[Patrick Kidd]

Thanks for your forthright views, Matt. Think you're confusing journalism with opinion, which is all that blogs ever should be seen as. You're right, Australia would never waste time to try and save a match. Nor would they ever try and intimidate the umpire into giving a catch that was nowhere near the ball.

Isn't the main point, though, that the umpires made no mention of this in their report nor did they warn England. They clearly felt it was trivial. By suggesting that Jeff Crowe, the referee, should have looked at England's tactics, isn't Ricky Ponting getting close to dissent? After all, the referee can only look at something if the umpires request it, not the players.

I don't think I'd made any claim about 2005 at Old Trafford - when again the umpires did not blame Australia. Quite why a player of McGrath's experience needs to be told to get back in his crease is beyond me, though.

I've repeatedly said that England were wrong to do what they did, but Australia are wrong to say that the tiny delay is why they didn't win. You bowled badly when under pressure - as we did throughout the game. Not sure whether the rain played that big a part. One session was washed out, but they made up eight overs on the final day. It is rare for a full 90 overs per day to be bowled these days for all sorts of reasons - bad light, time-wasting by bowlers - so you didn't do that badly. You had more than 100 overs at England in the second innings and 69 balls at the last pair and didn't finish the job.

To Max's point: I agree we can't talk about morals. Nor can Australia, that's the issue. Ponting is not someone who can talk about the spirit of cricket with any credibility. But nor can the English, sadly. But get your facts right on the mints: Trescothick used them in 2001, not 2005. The Aussie media made something out of it that was not correct.

But yes, as someone else said, let's rise above all this and concentrate on the rest of the series. Let's hope the team with the most runs and wickets wins.

[simon]

What tedious drivel. Ponting vs Strauss, who would you rather have walking captaining your side?

[Patrick Kidd]

Rosemary,
I agree that Ponting should not have been booed. Nor should any opposing player. That is bad form. He batted marvellously, as he usually does.

[Matt]

Patrick, there's time wasting and then there's blatant, outside the spirit of the game, lowly, underhanded, sleazy, cringeworthy timewasting. we saw the former for most of day 4 and the latter in the final moments of day 5. it was the latter which was so pathetic to watch.

I must also point out that you are wrong to assert that punter blamed the draw on the timewasting. He did not. Although he clearly took a dim view of it.

Anyway, lets have some fair cricket and may the best team win in the finest tradition of the ashes.

You guys are free to focus your energies on ridiculing punter rather than on critical introspection, but it'll probably only put fire in the bellies of a young team that all look up to him in a way the many characters of the 2005 team didn't. Pick on the chief and the tribe will rally round him this time.

[JR]

What absolute nonsense. Ponting has always been the picture of professionalism throughout his career.

Talking of ticking time bombs, i was watching the game early on day 4 when Aus were still batting and remember thinking that this game was headed for a tame draw.
How England conspired to be in a position where their 10 and 11 were batting to save the game only a day later can only be described as a ticking time bomb nearly going off.

Lets wait and see who implodes first.
My money is on Strauss and his not so merry men.

[pete M]

Ponting didn't declare early enough with rain around, and then couldn't take 8 wickets in a day, because one English batsman [Collingwood]played properly. Simple, really. If "Ponting-baiting" becomes the soundtrack to the summer, I shudder to think what will befall the England captain on the next tour to Australia.

[dan]

Only the Ashes can kick off so many stones being hurled from so many glass houses. Some bloggers have gone back to 2001 to justify their position, why stop there? Let's take it back to Bodyline. No, let's take it back further, I blame Cook myself (Captain James Cook, not vice captain Alisdair Cook).

[Paul]

A dubious, childish and churlish article.

Firstly, Strauss seems to have copped very little attention from any quarter after going AWOL for five days as a captain and a batsman. I guess by the look of him that's the way he has always conducted his life.

Secondly England will always rely on cunning to win rather than ability. Think bodyline, ball tampering and now time wasting.

Australia has always had the sheer talent, discipline and will to win and while they have been guilty of time wasting, in the main they win by playing great, competitive cricket.

[Ian]

Not sure what there is here to disagree with. Yes England shouldn't have attempted such blatant time wasting and yes Ponting shouldn't have thrown his toys out of the pram yet again.

Ponting could have possibly got away with making reference to it, and garnered some sympathy, had it not been for his "spirit of the game" hypocrisy. Not only in the example Patrick gave did Ponting challenge the spirit of the game, but also in the way he acted to every appeal turned down and even every wide given by the umpires. His looks of distain were obvious, and maybe if he'd got himself and his team back into position quicker he wouldn't have wasted so much time. Time to look in the mirror Ricky, you whinging Aussie.

[Al]

J.Sheldon said - Just remember, if it wasn't for Simon Jones - you lot wouldn't have had a hope in 2005.
But Simon Jones is Welsh, so why was he playing for a team called "England"? Maybe the team should be called England and Wales, EWCB please note!!

[Jim]

Patrick, re your comment at 14:41

"I've repeatedly said that England were wrong to do what they did, but Australia are wrong to say that the tiny delay is why they didn't win."

A problem with the whole issue is that most commentary seems to forget the fact that Ponting specifically said that the incident did NOT cost Australia the game.

I accept your comment that a blog is about opinion rather than journalism, but it would still be wise not to cut such corners in pursuit of sensationalism.

[Chris Weston]

For any future change of gloves, Gary Pratt should bring them out, being carried on Duncan Fletcher's shoulders. I believe it would be best if they were to wave to the crowd on the way out and on the way back.

Punter is a joke. We may as well play up to it.

[M Elliott]

I have played against Ozzies on a number of occasions myself in rugby and I can think of no more stupid tactic than deliberately trying to single one out for baiting. How dumb are you. I can think of no better way of getting an Ozzie team to close ranks, get them bonded as a team and pschologically fired up than to indulge in the petty abuse of one of their players. England you just don't get it and maybe never will 40% or more of what makes any Ozzie team hard to beat is that they are tough mentally they play with huge pride the minute they put on that green and gold unlike almost any England team. If you try stamping on that pride its like handing them a club to bash your team with. You go at any of them or worse try to single one out for abuse or victimisation and you will turn a team that is hard to beat into one that is impossible to beat. So I would suggest that unless Mr Kidd you have the skill and guts to face up to a fired up Ozzie team like your England team will have to do you need to come up with some better ideas on how to beat them.

[Jim Bom]

Al at 15.45, I'll think you will find, technically, that it is indeed the England and Wales Cricket Board

[Stever]

the funniest thing about all this time wasting is that the fact that the English teams performance in the test has been totally sweeped under the carpet. As long as they hide the fact that they are 2nd rate test team they will remain simple that. 2nd rate!!

[David Marr]

It seems like the majority of people adding comments are from the southern hemisphere digging the boot in!! Firstly don't you have decent papers down there and secondly yes the top order was rubbish but with a bit more steel it won't take much to put the Aussie attack to bed.

[neil]

M Elliot makes a point. Here in Aus, Ponting is not considered a 'great' captain such as Steve Waugh. Steve was ruthless. Baiting Ponting might not be such a bad idea as he might then acquire some of Waugh's instinct to kill off the opposition. Bait him all you want.

[Aneesh]

What are we - children??? What a ridiculous article! Why can't we just play the game and let the best team win? What's wrong with that?

[Christianou]

Would "Trescothick baiting" be considered acceptable behaviour? After all, he is surely the most mentally weak international cricketer of all time?

[Tom]

Maybe instead of trying to bait Ponting, England should try and teach Andrew Strauss how to captain a side.

If Englands biggest hope of winning this series is for Prior and Strauss to go "tick tock tick tock" everytime Punter goes out to bat, its going to be a lonnnng summer for you.

[Rob Sinclair]

You'd think the way English cricketers and spectators reacted after the game that they had won the test. Just remember, when your hanging on by your finger nails don't pat yourselves on the back too hard because the abyss is waiting for you.
Also could somebody please tell me when was the last time an English cricket team contained 11 born and bred "English" cricketers

[JR]

To David Marr.
No we don't.Love the writing Of the "quality " press.
Witty and clever.
And,yes,why not bait Ponting.Any thing to liven up the TV commentaters.Particularly Gower and Holding.

[Mark]

Interesting comment "I shudder to think what will befall the England captain on the next tour to Australia". You seem to forget that you are always totally out supported especially on your own doorstep

[Nick]

I think the ridiculous thing about Ponting making any comment at all, is that there is every chance that the shoe may be on the other foot, for possibly the same or another issue during the series. He can't harp on about the "Spirit of the game" if he slows the over rate to save a game, or gets into trouble for excessive appealing etc.

It would have been far smarter to have brushed the issue off. He now opens himself up to 4 matches where he has to be whiter than white, which may contribute to his team having a disadvantage.

[Paul]

No David Marr - there are no decent papers in Australia. All the good papers like News of the World, the Sun and the Daily Mail are domiciled in the UK and are hugely successful.

[SallyAnne]

Ricky said it was ordinary,can anyone disagree?He also said it didn't decide the game.But Strauss and his ilk have taken away the glory that belonged to Anderson and Panasear,they were the ones who hung on with tenacity,and Strauss and the press has stolen that away from them,they did the job England couldn't do,they hung on for a draw.Even though Australia was the far superior side...they out played England in every aspect of the game,6 wickets to 19 wickets.The highest runs against England.Even the 1st test was altered to give England their best chance of winning.Weeks ago they said the pitch was doctored to spin...the pitch was dreadful,hard on bowlers.
But the above story also takes away from the true hero's of this test,Anderson &Panasear.

[Tony]

"the fact that he was clearly angered and wounded in the aftermath of defeat"

What defeat?

[Keith]

Why are so many people wasting so much time over pontings usual rant when he doesn't win a match?

He is largely to blame for his own predicament but always deflects failure onto a person or an event. Man of the Match? Nah, kid in the sandpit!

[Matt]

I'm an Australian who's all for Ponting-baiting, or anything else that gets us closer to an even contest. Five full days in Cardiff would have undoubtedly seen an easy Australian win.

[Richard S]

"Secondly England will always rely on cunning to win rather than ability...Australia has always had the sheer talent, discipline and will to win and while they have been guilty of time wasting, in the main they win by playing great, competitive cricket."

I love this comment, from an Australian!!! An Australian! Australia only ever win at sports that require physical strength (rugby, cycling, athletics, swimming) or mental strength (cricket). Look at the most popular Australian cricketers, Border, S Waugh, I Chappel, at best you could describe them as grafters, but flair, none*. If anything its England who have the ability, just not the mental strength to nuckle down and use it, we're are a team of wasters. I'd rather have a bit of flair and win sometimes than just grind along lke a miserable old git winning everything in the fashion of an Australian. I can remember an interview with Steve Waugh when he was asked "why don't you ever smile when you are playing" and he said " because i'm at work, do you smile when you are at work?". No Steve, you werent at work you were playing a game. Pretty much somes up Australians really, they win but they don't even enjoy it they take it so seriously, who wants that? There is a reason you are so bad at Football, you can be as fit as you like and as tough as you like but you actually have to be skillfull for that.

*I admit that Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist may at times have used a little skill.

[Richard Wagner]

Australia have been fined 33 times for slow play since 1995: 20 of them under Ponting's captaincy and nine times since the start of 2008.

Australia were fined six times, costing A$123,000 (now about £59,000), in four Tests and two one-day internationals in 2008. They have infringed twice more in 2009, most recently in the World Twenty20 defeat by Sri Lanka.

In addition, whilst acknowledging that UK red-top newspapers would fail to inform a budgie reading extracts from a perch, the quality newspapers are plentiful. However, Australia has, at most, one - The Age - a low budget version of The Times.

[Aneesh]

This is journalism at its most petty! Patrick, surely you can do better than this?
I'm an England supporter but all this media nonsense about Ponting has got to stop. He didn't accuse, blame or point fingers at anybody. If you actually watch the press conference and listen to what he said you'll find that he, rather refreshingly, gave a direct response to a direct question put to him by a reporter (unlike the nonsense given by Strauss). He said England's behaviour was 'pretty ordinary' and that 'it didn't affect the outcome of the game'.

Now how is any of that an 'attack' on England???? If anything, I thought he was being pretty gracious given the clearly underhanded tactics of Strauss et al, which served only to detract from the fantastic efforts by Anderson and Panesar.

All this rubbish has got to stop and we have to get to the real issue - namely how the hell can England actually beat the Aussies, because based on the effort at Cardiff it isn't looking very good, is it?

Forget this nonsense about "Ponting baiting" and lets get back to the more adult matter of actually thinking about how we're going to win at Lords! At the moment, if it comes down to a battle between the captains, Ponting would win hands down every single time!

[Neil]

Pot calling the kettle?

I live in Australia (Brit) and can't stand the unsportsmanlike attitude of Australian cricket. It's typified by Ponting and how I laughed at his latest comment. Australia is such an insecure country that winning at sport has become a national obsession. To the point that Australia will try to win at all costs. I see this in everday life. I joke that there is only one thing worse than being a Brit here - thats American.

I took great delight the other day in watching the English grind out a draw. I know how much that will rile Ponting in particular and the other Australians who thrive on the national sport of Pom bashing.

[DeeCee]

True, Australia couldn't knock over a ferret in the first test; true, Ponting has anger issues; true, the team is perhaps not what it was. However, it is also true that they will win this Ashes series because they are in a different league to the England team!

[Paul]

Richard S - interesting you think that we are bad at football. Last time we played England in football we beat them. We progressed as far as England in the last football world cup who, despite having the benefit of the EPL in their backyard, have managed to win only one world cup (matches up nicely with your one rugby World Cup). The other reason we are bad at football is because most of us couldn't give a toss about it. Sure it might be the world game but then again most people thought the world was flat for a long time too.

[Gold Coast Dude]

Dream on all you Pommy loosers. Baahahah! What a joke. Do you really think that a man who has as many test runs as Ponting is easily rattled? You focus on this rather than the form of your own team meanwhile the Aussies are having a good chuckle to themselves. What pathetic excuses will you come up with after Lords? Your comments are as redundant as your monarchy. Can't wait till Germany knock you on your asses in the World Cup!

[Gold Coast Dude]

And also, when are you actually going to have English players playing for you?
Q. What advantage do Kevin Pieterson and Andrew Strauss and have over the rest of their team-mates?
A. At least they can say they're not really English.
Q. What do you call an Englishman with 100 runs against his name?
A. A bowler.

[Dave]

Matt - which do you think is more reprehensible: time-wasting (commonly referred to as gamesmanship), or claiming a catch that wasn't (commonly referred to as cheating)? I can sum up Ricky Ponting, great batsman though he is and much as I abhor his being booed, in three words. Pot. Kettle. Black.

[sam david]

You expect uncouth, unscrupulous, uncultured Australians not to play according to the spirit of the game - but the noble, righteous, gentlemanly English?

Perhaps it is the South African influence...

[James]

How wrong of the English to celebrate a draw! Any team in any sport on the verge of losing would naturally be pleased with a getting a draw. This is fairly obvious - witness any team that gets an injury-time equaliser or indeed even the mighty Aussies themselves on the OT balcony last time around.

The difference seems to be that no one is allowed to criticise the Australians, are they ultra sensitive or do they just arrogantly assume themselves to be above any form of criticism?

[sam david]

If anybody's captaincy needs to be called into question, it is that of Strauss - useless with the bat, useless in the field, failed to instil into his side the need to bat out the day until late in the innings. Surely, under the circumstances, Collingwood should have been elevated?

Then again, I am quite happy for the English to gloat about Australia's (alleged) failures if it means that they avoid addressing their own (significant) shortcomings.

[John C]

'The spirit of the game' should apply to all those who make their living by it and who watch it. This blogger should be sent off, permanently.
John C

[sam david]

NEIL

Much is being made of how baiting Ponting worked in 2005. It sure did - it made him more determined to rout England in 2006/7 (the forgotten series in England).

Cardiff 2009 certainly was no Adelaide 2006!

[Yabba]

In the absence of any talent, you really think silly school boy stunts will help? Better pick Draco Malthoid

[a]

Richard S - we are 'no good at football' because we are too busy playing interesting sports.

[sam david]

PAUL

England's solitary World Cup victory, back in 1966, was the consequence of a goal that wasn't.

[James Bond]

Dear oh dear chaps. Are you sure this article was meant soley to bait Ricky Ponting? Judging by the number of comments on this thread, the article should be retitled Ozzie Baiting as a national sport. This thread is surely the biggest Australian collective cricketing defense since criminal records began.

[A Thorn]

Gold Coast Dude! What do you say to any Australian outside Australia? 2 pints please and when you're done, wipe the table!

[Dave of Slough]

Congratulations to the English women's team on retaining the Ashes and being World champions.
Oz Sheilas don't cut it, Ponting, so stop behaving like one.

[Kiwi]

And how much test cricket have you played? Most likely none and you're judging the Australian captain. Dream on!

[sam david]

Ponting has outlasted Fletcher, Vaughn, Trescothik, Jones, Hoggard, Giles and fairly soon will have outlasted Flintoff.

A damning indictment of the efficacy of English attempts to wind him!

[sam david]

The only crying that I have seen on cricket pitches in recent years was Paul Collingwood at Adelaide in 2006.

And of course Geraint Jones (remember him?) had to get his father to fight his battles for him during that series!

[Sam's mother]

The only person turing into a time bomb on here is Sam David by the looks of it! And er Gold coast Dave, sadly for you our redundant monarchy is yours too. But of course the aussies never get wound up by the "poms".

There's no country more dependant on sport for some sort of influence than Australia, which is why they are bad winners and losers.

Ponting - great batsman but the evidence suggests he does get wound up. Swearing at the opposing team's coach after being run out is "in the spirit of the game" is it Ricky? What an example to set by your national team captain.

[sam david]

A THORN

Given the state of the UK finances, it won't be long before the only thing Aussies will be hearing from an Englishman is, "Can you give me a dollar?"

[sam david]

JAMES BOND

It's called going along with the joke. We know how much it means to sad souls such as yourself to think that your actions actually have some sort of significance.

[sam david]

SAM'S MOTHER

It's called banter. If you wish to take it seriously then that says far more about you than what it does about me.

As for our queen, ever since you lot ceded authority to Brussels in 1974 she hasn't had much to do. We decided to keep her on as a sinecure because it deludes people such as yourself into believing that you still matter.

When it comes to using sport to define national success, nobody does it quite like the English. 500,000 people for the Ashes parade in 2005, MBEs all around.

[Gold Coast Dude]

Baahaha! A Thorn.....At least the Aussie is working, can't say the same for, what, close to 9% of you toffs! We don't mind grafting to make a living, like our cricket team whereas you are obviously dependant on social welfare because your too proud to get your hands dirty...mmm, sounds a lot like your cricket team....
Q. Who has the easiest job in the English squad?
A. A Thorn who removes the red ball marks from the bats.
Think of me when Australia wins by an innings at Lords!

[Gold Coast Dude]

Sam's mother....stop stalking me woman! It was years ago and I needed the money........