Ponting begins mind games three months ahead of Ashes

Updated on: 17 August,2010 06:38 AM IST |
Khalid A-H Ansari | smdmail@mid-day.com

Even though the Ashes is more than three months away, Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has started the war of words

Even though the Ashes is more than three months away, Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has started the war of words

With 100 days to go before the Ashes series against Old Enemy England in Australia, skipper Ricky Ponting kick-started the habitual war of words yesterday saying he sees no reason why his team cannot repeat the crushing 5-0 whitewash they inflicted in 2006-07.

"A lot of their middle of the road players, experience-wise, have really stepped up in Anderson, Broad and those

guys", Ponting told the Daily Telegraph. "Collingwood has been good for them. Strauss seems to be leading the side well, so they are coming together well as a team and we have to make sure that by the end of the Indian tour in October we have everything in place to be ultra-competitive."

Currently assembled in Melbourne with some of his top players strategising for the Ashes, Ponting pointed out that England's bowlers had perfect conditions in England during the recent series against Pakistan.

Australia's determination to come up to speed on the Indian tour in preparation for the all-important Ashes series at home later this year will consequently pose a serious threat to India's present position at the top of the ICC Test match table In short, Dhoni and Co will really have to be at the top of their game to retain the supreme ranking they barely managed to hold on to in their recent hard-fought series against Sri Lanka.

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