Cultural stuff that's been spoken about has been blown out of proportion, Ricky Ponting

One of the most successful batsmen of his time, Ponting was a feared adversary for most of his opponents during his playing days. One of the most respected figures in international cricket, Ponting was certainly one of Australia’s most prolific captains and helped the team win numerous trophies and break tons of records throughout his career. But after the events of the past three weeks, all that he had built came crashing down in the blink of an eye.

The whole ‘Sandpapergate’ saga has brought to light a dark side of Australian cricket, something that was not prevalent in earlier times. The actions of Steven Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft have tainted the image of Australian cricket on a global stage. But Ponting is of the opinion that while the actions of the trio were certainly against the morals of Australian cricket it was harsh to question the cultural background of Australia as a nation.

"The cultural issue for me is really an interesting thing. Because if we wind the clock back just a couple of months, when Australia won the Ashes like they did, there were no talks about cultural problems or issues whatsoever. I honestly feel on this occasion the cultural stuff that's been spoken about has probably been blown out of proportion to a certain degree," Ponting, head coach of the Delhi Daredevils team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), told a news conference

Ponting, who led Australia to the World Cup twice during his tenure as captain, said that he was "shocked" by the entire controversy.

"As Australians, we like to play the game hard, we like to play the game fair. Fans expect the Australian player to play that way. I think the reaction back in Australia was as big as it was because the Australian public felt the Australian players had not played the game in a fair way," he added.

However, now that the buzz which surrounded the entire fiasco has died down considerably, Ponting has highlighted the importance of rebuilding the national team from the ground up.

"It's a good thing for cricket in Australia... Now that the Test series is over, the guys have got a few weeks to get away from it all and then start rebuilding what has sort of collapsed for them over the last couple of weeks," Ponting said.