North bats for Ponting’s superlative leadership skills

SYDNEY - Australian batsman Marcus North has launched a staunch defence of Ricky Ponting’s captaincy, by claiming that the 35-year-old’s leadership skills are second to none.

“I kind of laugh at it all. Playing in a lot of different teams over the last 10 years of my career, I’ve never come across a captain as good as Ricky. He’s gone from having a team that was very settled and full of legend players to bringing these younger guys in and developing these players,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted North, as saying.

“He’s been a fantastic support of me and certainly helped me in the last two years of my international career and to hear question marks over that tends to bring a smile to my face.”

“There’s been a lot of things I’ve seen Ricky do leading the national side that I try to bring into state cricket,” he added.

Ponting, one of Australia’s most successful captains, has been made out to be the villain of the piece, with several former cricketers questioning his captaincy following the 0-2 Test series defeat to India.

Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne had earlier criticized Ponting’s field placement for off-spinner Nathan Hauritz in the second Test at Bangalore’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

After the series defeat, Australia has slipped to fifth position in the ICC Test Championship rankings, its lowest ranking since the rankings were introduced in 2003.

Australia will have a chance to regain its fourth position when it goes head to head with fourth-placed England in a five-Test Ashes series, which starts in Brisbane on 23 November. (ANI)