Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has slammed the Australian batsmen for not scoring enough runs in MCG Test match which according to him was the real reason behind their loss. Australia scored 195 and 200 in the two innings of the Boxing-Day Test which Ponting said was not enough to see them through to a win. The Aussies were only able to give India a target of 70 runs in the second innings after they were bowled out for 200 in their second innings.
Talking to Criket.com.au, Ponting expressed major concerns at Australia’s lack of partnerships but mostly at the rate at which they are scoring runs.
Lack of Partnerships Cost Australia: Ricky Ponting
“It’s all about partnerships and they haven’t had any partnerships through the first couple of games. The cracks are probably painted over from Adelaide. (Australia) made 191 there, 195 and 200 here. That’s not batting in Test match cricket. And the worry I’ve got is how long it takes them to get those runs. That’s my issue,” Ponting said.
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He further said that the absence of David Warner and the lack of runs from Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne is another reason behind the low scores. Smith has just scored 10 runs in the four innings of the Test series so far. Meanwhile, Labuschagne has failed to convert his good starts into substantial scores.
“They need Warner back, they need Smith to score runs, they need Labuschagne to find the form of last summer as well. (Labuschagne) has not looked to be in as good a touch as he was last summer and those three players are just so vitally important to this Australian line up, it’s as simple as that,” Ponting said.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia has confirmed the venue for the third Test match of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Sydney Cricket Ground will host the third Test after there were question marks on its availability after a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Also Read: Australia vs India 2020: Cricket Australia Confirms Venue For Third Test
