Australia living on borrowed time
Australia have been heavily reliant on their pace attack in this World Cup with mixed results and post Australia's victory over Canada in Bangalore on Wednesday, Peter Roebuck, in the Sydney Morning Herald writes that Australia cannot keep losing
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Australia have been heavily reliant on their pace attack in this World Cup with mixed results and post Australia's victory over Canada in Bangalore on Wednesday, Peter Roebuck, in the Sydney Morning Herald writes that Australia cannot keep losing the battles of the new ball and expect to remain intact. Sooner rather than later, an opponent will turn up with the resources required to take advantage of erratic bowling and shaky batting.
The sight of an unknown and diminutive teenager going by the name of Hiral Patel smacking the cream of Australian fast bowling around Chinnaswamy Stadium was bad enough.Yet Australia's speedsters kept dropping short. Patel cut a six over cover and still they banged the ball down. He clouted another six over backward square and still they pitched short.
In the same newspaper, following Ricky Ponting's on-field spat with Steven Smith during the Canada game, Richard Hinds writes that even though Ponting retains a decent chance of ending his captaincy with the World Cup in his hands, he is running the risk of harming his reputation.
Of course, rather than stewing in his juices, Ponting should be counting his blessings that he has been given a final chance to end his reign in style. Yet, rather than putting his heart into ensuring a glorious end to his long incumbency, Ponting is wearing it on his sleeve. Railing against the seeming inevitability of his fate.
And once again in the Sydney Morning Herald, Greg Baum writes that Ponting is Australia's favourite whipping boy, and so all that matters is his punishment; the crime always must be made to fit it.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo