Re: Ashes 2005-06
Ponting fumes after latest defeat
Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he was “angry” and “embarrassed” by his side’s shock one-day loss to Somerset.
“We have to take a long, hard look at ourselves, get things out in the open and see where we can improve,” he said.
The tourists crashed to a four-wicket defeat at Taunton despite hitting a sizeable 340 off their 50 overs.
“It is pretty embarrassing,” said Ponting. “I was angry with the second part of the game. The bowling and fielding was what made me angry.” The Australians were undone by Somerset openers Graeme Smith and Sanath Jayasuriya, who both hit centuries.
“Smith and Jayasuriya batted well - but we let them bat well as well,” said Ponting. "It was pretty obvious the way they were playing, and yet we never changed.
“We weren’t smart enough to start with, and when they started hitting us around we weren’t able to change the length or anything.”
Ponting refused to blame a lack of cricket for his team’s poor showing.
“Your brain isn’t rusty - you still know what is right and what is wrong,” he said. "I don’t know if it was the execution or what exactly was wrong - but something was.
“They should have been able to think on their feet - but it seems they couldn’t.”
Australia meet NatWest Series rivals Bangladesh in their next game on Saturday, and Ponting added: “We will probably have our work cut out to beat Bangladesh after the way we have played the last couple of days.”
The tourists could go into the match at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff without fast bowler Brett Lee, who was forced off against Somerset with a shoulder injury.
Lee will receive treatment and possibly a scan, and Ponting said: "It was serious enough for him not to come back out today. “He said after the second-last ball of his spell that he felt a sharp pain in the back of his shoulder, and I knew something was wrong.”
