Ponting shrugs off poor form

Australia's batting had been their weakest link in the series against England but with captain Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke hitting format The Oval, they posted a big enough total to avoid a whitewash. David Hopps says in the Guardian that Ponting's innings shows that it is still too early to write him off.

Ponting's 92 from 93 balls was an ideal retort to the suggestion that Australia, having lost the series, were in danger of a 5-0 whitewash and that his own appetite to lead Australia into next year's World Cup might diminish as a result. This was no angry riposte, driven by desperation. This was an innings of deliberation and exactitude, a reminder of his lasting prowess. He has averaged between 40 and 43 in ODIs for 10 years; there is absolutely no evidence of decline.