Tait news 'hit me like a ton of bricks' - Ponting

Ricky Ponting says the Australian players were "flabbergasted" by Shaun Tait's decision to walk away from cricket indefinitely. Tait said physical and emotional exhaustion were the reasons for his move and Ponting said his team-mates had not seen the signs of Tait's struggles.

"Obviously Taity has been run down for a long period of time," Ponting told the Sun-Herald. "We never saw it. He is just the happiest bloke to have around the change-room. It's hit me like a ton of bricks. We're all flabbergasted."

Tait was one of Australia's leading players at the World Cup in the Caribbean but after having surgery on his right elbow during the off-season he had trouble getting back to his peak. He was given limited first-class outings before his ill-fated return to Test cricket at the WACA, where he took no wickets and rarely looked threatening.

"A lot of people might think cricket is five-star hotels and living," Ponting said. "It is very hard work to maintain that for a long time. You could probably ask Phil Jaques about coming in and not understanding how demanding cricket at the highest level really is.

"The fact people thought Jaques had the mumps after playing back-to-back Tests was significant. It's no fluke. You get run down and tired. It's having a body and mind that can deal with it, and it isn't easy."