Stand-in Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes fatigue, concentration and complacency are not issues as Australia suffered back-to-back losses in the CB Series.
Stand-in Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes fatigue, concentration and complacency are not issues as Australia suffered back-to-back losses in the CB Series. Speaking to the media after the defeat to Sri Lanka, Ponting was asked if he thought the long summer was affecting concentration or whether the team was tired? Ponting was quick to dismiss any such suggestions. "There is no fatigue. We had a couple of days off, so the guys did have plenty of rest and were raring to go today. Our skills let us down today."
Ponting also doesn't think the team is complacent after whitewashing India in the Test series. "I don't think the Australian cricket team has ever been complacent and we take pride in winning every match we play. We batted, bowled and fielded terribly and that's why we lost."
From India's point of view, Sri Lanka's win underlines the fact that this Australian team can be beaten by a big margin. Although there was a bit of a grass on the wicket, Ponting defended his decision to bat first. "At the toss, it was bright and sunny.
By the time the game got underway, the lights were on and it was cloudy which probably changed the nature of the wicket. I thought it was still a good wicket to bat on and if the sun stayed out, I'm sure there were plenty of runs to be made out there."
Ponting heaped praise on the Sri Lankan bowlers. "Take nothing away from the Sri Lanka bowlers. They adapted to the wicket very quickly and put our batsmen under pressure straightaway," he said.
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