AUS v IND 2018-19: Lack of top-level players in coaching roles hurting Australia, says Ricky Ponting

Australia cricket no longer put across the kind of quality it once did at the highest level.

Ponting is not the first former Australian cricketer to bemoan technical aptitude of modern-day batsmen from down under | Getty

Former skipper Ricky Ponting rues lack of elite cricketing prowess in coaching roles across different levels as one of the reasons for Australian Cricket's stagnation, as the country fails to put across the kind of quality it once did and dominated world cricket.

While batting legend backs Justin Langer to help Australia come out triumph from the current slump, he still feels that the problem lies deeper.

"It's been a topic of conversation for 20 years, about having the right people at the right places at the right times," Ponting told cricket.com.au, "Whether that's the cricket academy (now absorbed into the Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane) or the states, or the U-19s or 17s around the state set-up."

"I'm just not sure enough attention is being paid to coaching around Australia. I think it might be the reason why we're struggling to find those (top-level) players now."

"If you wind the clock back 20 years when some of these guys that are (now) playing international cricket or senior players in (Sheffield) Shield cricket, have a look who the coaches might have been around them at that stage and you'll start to understand some of the reasons," he added.  

An excellent cricketing brain himself, Ponting has experienced coaching Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League as well as short stints with the national side itself.

He also revealed that the plans were for him to take over for the shortest format a while back but the infamous ball-tampering saga derailed them.

"The plan was he (Lehmann) was going to continue on as Test and one-day coach, and I'd take over the entire T20 stuff," Ponting said, "When he resigned, I just said to Justin straight away, 'Mate, you have to take over all of these teams right now – you need to be the consistent person around the three formats with these players (and) if I can come in and help, then I'll help where I can."

"Whether he (Langer) wanted it to be that way or not, that's the way it had to be, but when I spoke to him straight away, he didn't want to upset me and feel like he was taking a job away. At the same time, I knew he had to have those three jobs and those three roles," he signed off.

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 14 Dec, 2018

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