Ponting defends Oz bowlers’ performance on ‘foreign Gabba wicket’

BRISBANE - Australian captain Ricky Ponting has defended his bowlers efforts in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, saying that he had “never played on a Gabba wicket like that in my whole career”.

Australian fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle, failed to provide decisive breakthroughs for the hosts in England’s second innings, as it mercilessly scored a record 517-1 to see off the prospect of defeat.

England’s fightback was in response to Australia taking a handsome 221-run lead on the first innings.

“I’ve never played on a Gabba wicket like that in my whole career. The way it started and how slow it was in the first couple of days was very foreign to me,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Ponting, as saying.

“Normally it’s quicker and bouncier early on, there’s a lot more wickets caught behind than what there was in this particular game.”

“A different wicket I think. The result indicates there was something different about the Gabba this week,” he added.

The Australian captain, however, admitted that his team could have bowled a lot better as a group.

“It felt like I exhausted every option as far as trying to do different things with fields and tactics and whatever else. We just weren’t able to break their top three players,” Ponting said.

Ponting was, however, unsure when asked whether Australia would change the team for Adelaide.

“I don’t think anyone’s certain yet; the fact that we brought two fast bowlers in, I’m not sure anyone is certain. We’ll wait and see how everyone pulls up in the next couple of days and go with what we think is our best attack,” he said. (ANI)