Suprised to see James Pattinson not included in the second Ashes Test, claims Ricky Ponting

The Australian cricket team produced a stunning all-round display in the opening Ashes Test win at Edgbaston. Under the leadership of Tim Paine, Australia beat the hosts by an embarrassing margin of 251 runs thanks to a twin century by Steven Smith who played in his first Test match since being banned in South Africa. While Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins started with the ball, the returning James Pattinson also managed to chip in with some long spells and picked up two wickets in the first innings as well. 

Former Australia skipper and assistant coach - Ricky Ponting - revealed that he was surprised that Pattinson was not part of the squad to play England in the second match of the ongoing Ashes series. 

"The hardest thing is going to be acceptance from the players. Even the public are just going to have to accept that’s what the hierarchy believe is best for the team and the players.I was surprised (Pattinson didn’t play). Given the break between games, I would have thought he’d have come up and nice and fresh. But we saw (on day one) just how much of a class act Josh Hazlewood is, particularly with the red ball. So it’s so far, so good as far as that selection is concerned.

"There's history with Patto where he’s played and then broken down (with injury). So I totally understand the reason they did it. As long as it was really clear to him at the start of the series that it was going to be that way … then they could get on with it," Ponting was quoted as saying by Cricket.au.com.