Ponting worse than predecessors in slow-over rate issue

MELBOURNE: Australia captain Ricky Ponting has been rated worse than predecessors Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor and Allan Border in addressing the slow-over rate issue.
Statistics show that none of Ponting's teams have averaged more than the minimum of 15 overs per hour in any series since he took over from Steve Waugh in Sri Lanka in 2003-04, according to the Herald Sun on Tuesday.
"The best over-rate Ponting's team has averaged in any Test series is 14.74 per hour against Sri Lanka in Australia in 2004 which was still short of the mark of 15 overs an hour set down by the International Cricket Council," it said.
Australia's slowest over-rate in any series under Ponting was 12.78 per hour against the West Indies in the Caribbean this year -- while the Indian tour last month (13.38) was the third worst.
The three previous skippers before Ponting all had series where they achieved the 15-over mark while Taylor's worst series as skipper, where he averaged 13.88 overs per hour in the Caribbean in 1994-95, wasn't far off Ponting's best.
Ponting was slapped fine of 3825 Aus dollar after his team was three overs short in the first Test win against New Zealand at the Gabba.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell, who has been highly critical of Ponting on the over-rate issue, said statistics show that Ponting's excuses in India were hollow.
In India, Ponting blamed ground conditions and the scorching hot weather.
"That is a smokescreen. In a number of other series in different countries, Australia's over-rates have been even worse than they were in India," Chappell said.
"The art of placing a field hasn't varied much from when Dennis Lillee was Australia's chief strike bowler, and Ashley Mallett the leading off-spinner.
"It's difficult to understand why Ponting needs to engage in long, drawn-out conversations with his bowlers, which is the main cause of Australia's slow over-rate," he said.
Chappell said captaincy was not rocket science and it should not be hard to stamp out the over-rate problem.
"If a captain follows a few simple rules, he won't go far wrong," he said and added, "He should aim to place as many fielders in the region where a catch is most likely to go, and ensure taking wickets is his main objective.
"Saving singles is the next priority, with boundaries running a distant third. But saving boundaries ranks too high on Ponting's priority scale," he added.