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This is a slightly weird feeling, but we really want Ricky Ponting to play at the MCG.
Much as we want England to win easily, beating a side captained by Michael Clarke just wouldn’t be right. Ricky Ponting is the most significant player on either side and it brings the occasion down a notch if he’s not there.
To be clear, this is nothing at all to do with the fact that we want Australia to have a number three batsman who was having trouble scoring runs even when his fingers were intact, because if he plays, we reckon Ricky’ll get runs.
When there’s a crowd the size of the one expected at the MCG, everything changes. Young pretenders go all wobbly and your old gnarl dogs take advantage. Compared to everyone else, Ricky Ponting will be largely unarsed by tens of thousands of people staring at him on Boxing Day.
what happened to never feeling sorry for australia?
surely we should be sticking pins in the little finger of a ponting doll.
and while we’re at it we could stick pins in the face of a hussey doll and the non-doing arm of a mitchell johnson doll.
Well I agree that we should want him to play, but that’s largely because he won’t score any runs. He’s a spent force. I do actually feel genuinely sad about this, as he was one of the great players of our generation. But it is true.
I (privately) predicted at the start of this series that it would be Ponting’s last, irrespective of the result. The main reason for this is that it is a home series, and I don’t think he will be sure of having another. If the Aussies lose, he will go because of the bad result. If they win, he will go because it is a time of his choosing, and something of going out at the top. In either case, I reckon it’s two more tests for Punter.
Bert, I reckon he’ll continue as captain no matter what the result is. Australia have not identified a potential leader. That a bunch of grown men will listen to Michael Clarke is a joke. And to top that, Greg Chappell doesn’t have enough confidence in Clarke. At any rate, Punter will captain the next world cup and a year should give them some time to shake up the test team.
Oh, and all this talk about his batting is unnecessary, really. Who needs him to bat when he can do this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T4nlUwmvwg
Look, it’ll be better for the whole of England if Ricky Ponting and his finger play. So I agree with sam, bring out the vodoo doll please…
But leave Hussey alone.
If Ricky had one kidney taken out, had sun-stroke, developed paralysis of the limbs & suffered from hernia, he should play. It would be better than watching poor Puppy being routinely kicked in the balls over five days.
As he gets older and more jowly, Ricky Ponnting is starting to look more and more like Ian Hislop.
Now that’s sad.
He’s even acquired an extra ‘n’ in his name to make up for his shortage of runs.
All this talk of dolls. Rickee is already the possessed, chuckee-like manequin of all we loathe about Australian cricket. Back to haunt us over theselast 12 or so years.
Ponting’s finger has been places.