Punter to the rescue
Ricky Ponting’s 16 runs weren’t much of a contribution to his team’s total, and we’re as sceptical as the next person of his contribution as captain in the field. However, his return to the Australian team has brought about an instant change in fortune. Yesterday’s 301 runs and successful defence of that total is a return of the Australia we all know and fear.
No doubt having Punter back in the team made a big difference. His experience and comptitiveness would have inspired the rest of the team. However, I think the biggest impact of cancelling his gardening leave was that it showed that everyone was taking the game seriously. That they wanted to win, not just to avoid losing, which really seemed to be the case in Friday’s wishy-washy effort.
Only 1-2 down now and the odds of an Australian boil over have shortened. Winning 3 in a row is a challenge for any team. 2 in row? Even money according to the bettors.
