Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting applauded Australia’s middle-order batter Travis Head’s stunning century on Day 1 of the WTC final against India at The Oval. He also felt that Head’s knock changed the game and was a continuation of his sublime form over the last couple of years as well.
Speaking to the ICC after the match, Ponting said: “Travis Head’s last 2 years has been outstanding. He’s found a new level of confidence and he’s been given that confidence by the coaching staff and the captain. They’ve shown really good faith in him and have told him to play a certain way, which is to play his natural way and be really aggressive. That innings you wind the clock back and you take 163 out of Australia’s first innings and it could be a completely different game. He played beautifully, Steven Smith was outstanding again.”
While coming in with Australia batting at 76-3, the veteran took on the Indian bowling attack with his blistering stroke play to take Australia to 327-3 at stumps on Day 1 as well. He also finished seventh in the run-scorers chart for the 2021-23 WTC cycle, scoring 1,208 runs in 17 matches which came at an average of 52.52. Travis Head’s sublime form was instrumental in Australia finishing atop the points table for the 2021-23 WTC cycle as well.
Ricky Ponting also praised Scott Boland and Alex Carey for their important contributions in the final. While Boland finished with five wickets in the match, Carey managed to score 48 and 66* along with six catches behind the stumps as well.
“If Josh Hazlewood was fit, Boland might not have played but everytime Scott Boland has been presented an opportunity, he has taken it with both hands. Even after this performance here, I think he’ll have the Australian selectors scratching their head about what is the right make up for the Ashes coming up in just over a week’s time. He was outstanding and Alex Carey was brilliant as well with his runs in the second innings, he’s ended up with four catches in the second innings as well so six catches for the game,” he again shared.
Ricky Ponting also credited Justin Langer and former Test captain Tim Paine for their role in Australia’s turnaround after the famous ball-tampering controversy at Cape Town in 2018 as well. Notably, Australia had missed out on qualification for the WTC 2021 final due to a slow over-rate in the Test against India at the MCG as well.
“I think you can wind the clock back down and Justin Langer and Tim Paine have had a lot to do with where this team is at right now. After Cape Town, everything that happened there, cricket in Australia was at its lowest point. It took a couple of really strong characters in Langer and Paine to turn things around. Both those guys are not there now but this current team are sowing the seeds of their labor. Its fantastic to see, it makes me really proud to sit back and watch this team play their cricket,” Ricky Ponting concluded.
