T20 World Cup
Ponting reckons lack of finishers in Aussie squad
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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes that the absence of finishers in Australia's T20 World Cup team might be a weak spot for the team.
The 46-year-old also pointed out that all the batters in the squad play in the top-order, and at the same position for their Big Bash League teams as well.
“All the batters in our T20 team bat one, two or three for their Big Bash teams and inevitably they become the leading runs scorers at the end of every Big Bash so they get picked for Australia. But [among those] who bat at five or six for their Big Bash team every game, who’s in the current Australian team? There’s no one," said Ponting.
“If I think, of the best finishers I’ve seen — Kieron Pollard, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya — where have they batted their whole lives in the T20 game? In those slots, so that’s just their game,”
“But we just don’t have many of those guys who are dominating the back of Big Bash games where you can say ‘right, you’re going to be listed to bat at number six today and if you get 15 balls we know you’ll get 30′. So, again, that will potentially be our Achilles’ heel," added Ponting.
However, he thinks all-rounder Marcus Stoinis could be the man who could fill in the late-order hitters’ gap.
“With Australia he’s been in and out of the side, and not really found a spot in the batting line-up. I’ve tried to make it pretty clear to him where I see him slotting in with the Delhi Capitals outfit and the certain role he’s going to play for us."
“He is a hard worker. He likes to bat and bowl as much as an anyone we’ve had at Delhi. So as long as I give some clear direction and he understands what he’s doing and what his role is, I just let him go about getting himself prepared,” he added.