Australia must clear their minds
Australia had their bowlers to thank for their victory over India in Adelaide and Peter Roebuck in the Age considers the poor form of the team's leading batsmen.
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
Australia had their bowlers to thank for their victory over India in Adelaide and Peter Roebuck in the Age considers the poor form of the team's leading batsmen.
Ponting was scratchy. Usually, smartly executed pulls are his damper and vegemite. When he is on song, such shots are lost in the crowd. Now the stroke stood solitary owing to the company it was keeping. Cricket is a tough game and captaincy can be the hardest part. Previously a constant scorer, the Australian captain might find reassurance in the ups and downs endured by counterparts such as Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. But a man cannot sort out his game until he has cleared his mind.
Andrew Symonds was also tentative. Dangerous in the latter stages of an innings, he has been obliged to bat with more circumspection than befits a player of his power. Batsmen capable of changing the course of a match in 30 minutes are not to be wasted.
Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here