Thomson calls Ponting a ‘crap’ skipper

MELBOURNE - Former Australian pacer Jeff Thomson pulled a barbed shaft at compatriot Ricky Ponting, calling him a “crap” skipper with few supporters in the country.

Thomson believes England with Andrew Strauss have a clear advantage in leadership and in reclaiming the Ashes in a series that begins July 8.

“I thought Ricky was crap when he was first captain in 2004 and nothing much has improved since then,” Thomson was quoted as saying in the Australian media Wednesday.

“I’m not the only one who thinks that. Everyone at home thinks he’s crap at the captaincy. He’s a great player but captaincy is a totally different thing.

Thomson, considered to be the fastest bowler to have played Test cricket, was mystified at Australia’s selection of Ponting for the job five years ago. He believes the 34 year-old batsman is still struggling in the role.

“I couldn’t believe it when he was picked as captain. There was no one else to pick but Ponting still had no experience. He’d only captained one side ever before. How did he get to lead Australia with that sort of experience?

“He was in a side that had very good players and now he’s got a side that has average players. He’s still left wanting.

“You see it on him - he gets frustrated. He worries when the players don’t do what he’s used to with the ball when he passes it to them. This is half the reason he’s got a bloke in there who can’t even spin a ball (Nathan Hauritz).

“He just wants someone to bowl tight but that’s not going to get you wickets. The choices he makes, his field settings and the things he does are never right.

Thomson, who had come to the limelight with 33 wickets in the 1974-75 Ashes, feels Australia will have to perform their best against England.

“England have the edge in the captaincy department. But while England have a better captain, Australia have a better line-up.”

“They’ll need to play a lot better than they did in South Africa because the conditions are different,” he said.

“I’ve played in England many times and it’s much harder for the bowlers, but I think we’ll win the series by a single Test.”