Australia's cricket captain Ricky Ponting has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to get to the root of the spot-fixing allegations against Pakistan but said banning the country was not a solution to the problem.
Ponting said the governing body needed to clean up the mess quickly to ensure the credibility of the game didn't take a bigger hit.
“ICC should get to the bottom of the allegations. But it won't be a wise decision to keep Pakistan out of international cricket because it will have a bigger impact on other things,” said Ponting during a press conference here ahead of the first Test against India starting on October 1 in Mohali.
The Aussie skipper said spot-fixing allegations being talked about here ahead of a major series was indication enough of how serious the issue was.
He, however, said “we are here to play the best brand of cricket” and hoped the game's image would improve.
Asked if any Aussie player had been approached by any bookie in the past, Ponting said, “the Australian team is very well educated on that side. We haven't been approached by anyone. We are briefed very well by our team management from time to time.”
Aiming to improve
Ponting, who does not have a very good personal record in India, said he would be aiming to improve that and take some positives from the two-match series ahead of the Ashes and next year's World Cup.
On Yuvraj's exclusion from the Indian Test team, Ponting said the host still had good players in the middle-order.
Australia-India series have traditionally been stormy affairs, with off-field controversies grabbing headlines as much as the hard-fought cricket.
Ponting said the rivalry had built over the years and as long as players didn't cross the line, some banter only added zing to the contests.
“(It's okay) as long as players play in the right spirit and play the best brand of cricket,” he said.
On the Mohali track, Ponting felt it was one of the best grounds in India, which offered reasonable pace and bounce.
Asked about Australia issuing a travel advisory warning of terror attacks in Delhi during the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Ponting refused to comment merely stating he was satisfied with the security arrangements here.
Properly briefed
“During our tours we are regularly briefed as far as security issues are concerned. We are satisfied with the security arrangements here,” he said.
Elaborate security measures have been made at the Sector 16 cricket stadium, where the team had some running practice on Tuesday.
Australia will play a three-day practice match against a Gautam Gambhir-led Board President's XI here from September 25.
