Colombo, March 20: Skipper Ricky Ponting said his team’s batting display in their four-wicket loss to Pakistan here was ”nowhere near good enough”, but the loss won’t hurt the team’s World Cup campaign.
It was an uncharacteristic batting collapse for the four-times world champions in their World Cup Group A encounter yesterday as they were shot out for a meagre 176- their lowest World Cup total since 1992- with seamer Umar Gul being the wrecker-in-chief.
”It went nowhere near according to our plans; we were very disappointing,” Ponting said at the post-match press conference.
”The way we batted was nowhere near good enough to win a World Cup game against a good Pakistan side.
”We have got some thinking to do about that, the way we batted today.
”That’s not going to win you many games of cricket.” The 36-year-old Tasmanian, however, paid tribute to his bowlers’ attempts to make a contest of the match, highlighted by pacer Brett Lee’s 4-28, but ultimately they didn’t have enough to defend.
”I can not fault the endeavour or the spirit the boys showed with the ball and in the field,” said he.
”I thought it was terrific; we fought our way back into the game and actually gave ourselves a chance of winning when we had them six down.” The loss to Pakistan, the last team to beat Australia at a World Cup in 1999, ended the side’s 34-match unbeaten streak. But Ponting said the record had added no pressure to the group and the side can recover from the setback.
”To be honest, I don’t think the loss will hurt us at all,” Ponting said.
–UNI