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Thommo lambasts skipper Ponting

London: Ricky Ponting never deserved to get the job and has not improved a bit in the five years at the helm, said pace legend Jeff Thomson in a scathing attack on the Australian skipper just days ahead of the Ashes.

“I thought Ricky was crap when he was first captain in 2004 and nothing much has improved since then,” said the 58-year-old, 100 of whose 200 Test wickets have come against Ashes rivals England. “I’m not the only one who thinks that. He’s a great player but captaincy is a totally different thing,” said ‘Thommo’ at a charity dinner here.

Wrong choice

Thomson said he couldn’t believe when Ponting was picked as captain in 2004.

“I couldn’t believe it when he’d been picked as captain. He’d only captained one side ever before. How did he get to lead Australia with that sort of experience? He was in a side that had very good players and now he’s got a side that has average players. He’s still left wanting,” Thomson said.

Thomson said Ponting’s on-field mannerisms are not of a leader and he is the first to panic when the team is in trouble.

“You see it on him… he gets frustrated. He worries when the players don’t do what he’s used to with the ball when he passes it to them,” he said. “The choices he makes, his field settings and the things he does are never right.”

After Ponting, Thomson turned his ire on spinner Nathan Hauritz. “He (Ponting) has got a bloke in there who can’t even spin a ball (Nathan Hauritz). Simon Katich and Michael Clarke have more chance of taking a wicket than Hauritz.

“Why go for a guy like that? I don’t rate Hauritz,” said Thomson.

Thomson, however, still picked Australia as the favourite for the Ashes that starts on July 8. “England has the edge in the captaincy department. But while England has a better captain, Australia has a better line-up.”

On Australia’s possible line-up for the five-Test series, Thomson said he didn’t see pacer Brett Lee finding a place in the side. “I don’t see a place for Brett Lee in this side. He hasn’t played for such a long time. Mitchell Johnson is a handy bowler but what’s really added another string to his bow is his batting. He bats properly and is a good hitter of the ball. He’s got defence and attack.”

Mixed response

England’s most successful captain Michael Vaughan’s retirement from cricket evoked mixed response from his peers with Australia skipper Ricky Ponting saying he was surprised by the 34-year-old’s decision to call it a day.

Ponting felt Vaughan still had some cricket left in him and he expected the right-hander to be a part of the England squad for the upcoming Ashes series.

“I must admit I am a bit surprised by his retirement,” said Ponting, who will lead Australia in a four-day warm-up match against England Lions here at New Road starting today.

“It is only a couple of months ago that I was thinking he might be named in the first Test squad by England. I thought he might have a bit more to offer international cricket somewhere down the line.

“With him being a contracted player, I thought there was a chance he might have found himself back in the Ashes squad. But Ravi Bopara came in and grabbed his opportunity with both hands. I guess it just goes to show with a few of the younger guys coming into the England set-up and grabbing their opportunity, he might have felt his time might have passed,” he added. — PTI

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