AUS vs PAK | Australia should go in with same playing XI in Adelaide, opines Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting believes that Australia should not make any changes to playing XI for the Adelaide Test and should go with the same XI that played in Brisbane. The hosts are 1-0 up in the two-match Test series after having defeated Pakistan by a margin of an innings and five runs at the Gabba.
Queensland's Michael Neser has been a consistent performer in the domestic setup ever since he helped his team win the Sheffield Shield title in 2017-18 and for the Strikers in BBL in the same season. After being overlooked by the selectors for a long time, Neser was called up to the 2018 ODI tour of England and made his ODI debut at The Oval, playing two matches of the five-match series.
After a string of promising performances for Australia A tour of India, he was added to Australia's squad for the two-match Test series in the UAE against Pakistan but did not make it to the playing XI. Even after another successful Shield season for Queensland, having amassed 481 runs at an average of 43.72 and bagged 33 wickets, he hasn't made his Test debut yet.
While there were rumours of the all-rounder getting his first Test cap in the D/N test against Pakistan, Ponting dismissed those as he affirmed that “it’s not possible”. The ex-skipper was of the opinion that going in with the same XI would be in the best interest of the team.
"I'd go in with the same eleven. There were some murmurings this morning actually that there was a chance that (Michael) Neser might play in Adelaide, but I can't see how that would be possible,” Ponting told cricket.com.au.
Ponting further attested that the bowlers, having had enough rest in the gap, should be physically fit for the upcoming fixture. While the pacers were impressive in the first Test, according to Ponting, Lyon is a work-horse who can add value to the team at any point in the game. So he opined that the group shouldn’t be broken.
"They've finished the game a day early, the bowlers had a couple of days off in between bowling innings, so they physically should be OK by the time the Adelaide game starts. They've worked well as a group here – the three quicks have worked well together, and Nathan bowls well anywhere at any time, so if I was the selectors I'd be reluctant to break the group up," stated Ponting.
Meanwhile, Starc was out of form and touch and only played one forgettable game in 2019 Ashes and was yet incorporated to the playing XI in Brisbane. However, Ponting believes that Starc, who bagged seven wickets at the Gabba, and not James Pattinson should be featuring in the second Test as well.
"He's shown enough for me – I've actually been really impressed with Starc here (in Brisbane). His pace has been really good – maybe not quite as quick as we've seen in previous years – but his control has certainly seemed a lot better," Ponting opined.
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