The delicate nature of Australia's players

Patrick Smith, The Australian columnist, points out the delicate side of the national team, using Ricky Ponting’s back-pedalling catch as an example.

The catch was not the best ever seen. It wasn't even the best taken on the day. Andrew Symonds took a superior catch when he threw himself forward to hold a mis-whacked drive from Chamara Kapugedera. Technically, there was no comparison ...

We have acknowledged earlier that coming to any sort of conclusion about an Australia cricketer that is not overwhelmingly positive is to ask for a bouncer to the head. But there remains a danger that the hyperbole surrounding Ponting's pluck to immortality might just obscure the skill and audacity shown by Symonds.

Robert Craddock sums up Australia’s one-day summer in The Courier-Mail and hopes for a series of testing against South Africa.