Judgement day for Ponting

Nobody would claim that Ponting is as astute as Brearley or as aggressive as Taylor. Since he stuck England in and lost at Edgbaston in 2005 he has chosen to bat first on every single one of the 29 occasions he has won the toss. But he has still been an outstanding captain, a man who inspired his team through deeds rather than words, and led by example rather than exhortation. But unless he can recapture his best form, that is not going to be enough to get him through this series. As a captain Ponting has succeeded through winning matches with his bat. If he can't do that he is going to have to prove he can win them with his nous and his man-management. Not many people think those are skills that he has. Perverse as it seems after all his accomplishments, his reputation rests on proving them wrong.