Oz provincial side selector says struggling Ponting should bat lower down

PERTH - Western Australia selector Daryl Foster has said that Australia’s struggling skipper Ricky Ponting should drop down the batting order.

Foster’s comments assume significance in the wake of Ponting posting scores of 10, 51, 0 and 9 for an average of 23.3 in the Ashes series so far.

“I think somebody has to be game enough, maybe Greg Chappell, to tell Ricky Ponting to drop down the order,” Foster said in an interview with Wisden cricket magazine.

Foster added: “If he wants to continue as Australian captain we can’t be on a knife-edge every time we lose an early wicket with Ricky coming in and being vulnerable early in his innings.”

“He is 36, it’s just a fact that reflexes and hand-eye coordination go. They only have to go a little bit and all of a sudden you’re nicking the one that you would have let go. I’m not sure how long he can go on. If he loses this series he can’t go on as Australian captain,” Fox Sports quoted Foster, as saying further.

Foster also said that Australia’s surprise spin choice, left-armer Michael Beer was okay, but he didn’t think England batsman Kevin Pietersen would have too much of a problem facing him.

“Well he (Pietersen) got out to one (left-arm spinner Doherty) in Adelaide, but he had 227 runs on the board,” said Foster.

“He flights the ball nicely, I’ve seen him bowl at the WACA and he’ll bowl tidily, he seems to be a reasonably good competitor, whether he’s class enough for that level time will tell,” he added.

“Doherty wasn’t up to that task, and I don’t know that any left-arm spinner here would be up to it. I think Beer is slightly better - he’s a taller boy than Doherty, his action is good, he does get some drop and a bit of flight, and he’s turned the ball on the WACA which is surprising. He’ll go ok, but I think it’s a panic decision,” Foster said.

He said England would pick Chris Tremlett to replace the injured Stuart Broad for the Perth Test. (ANI)