Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that his team largely played well except for the last ten overs when Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatened to take the game away from the visitor during the first match of the Hero Honda Cup One Day International series at Vadodara here on Sunday.
On winning
“I was happy with the fact that we won. We played well enough to win the game. I would have been disappointed if we hadn’t crossed the line after having largely played well through the course of the game. I think it will be a good learning curve for a few of the guys. Probably it was good for Siddle, who bowled the last over. He has never been in a position like that before. Happy to be 1-0 up.”
On 292 being inadequate
“At one stage we thought we might score more than 292 but a few wickets slowed us down. When you lose wickets in the power-play it slows you down. Michael Hussey played an outstanding innings and the others too did well. Tim Paine and Cameron White played well. Of course there is room for improvement before game two.”
On why Brett Lee bowled just six overs
“Brett came off with a sore elbow and then he came back and fielded for the rest of the game.”
On Harbhajan’s innings
“Harbhajan didn’t take the game away from us though he did come close. I think our bowling in the last ten overs, I mean I don’t think that we can be that bad again. Yeah it was bad.”
On the last over
“I knew it will be an entertaining (last) over. Of course things were in their favour in that last over after they scored 20 in the earlier over but a couple of good balls helped us and Siddle was calm and composed and it will help him in the long run. Shane Watson is one of our better finishers but he had finished his ten and we gave it to Siddle and he did a good job.”
On Hussey’s innings
“Hussey’s innings was good for the middle order and these are really good signs for the team and the middle-order.”
On the new-comers doing well for the team
“Cameron White has got us across the line in the Champions Trophy. Paine has done well. Siddle did well today. These are good signs.”
On the Champions League schedule hindering team preparations
“The fact that some of our players joined us last night and day before after the Champions League did hinder our preparations and team tactics. Three of the guys got in last night after half past eight and we took the team bus to the ground at seven in the morning and that hardly gave us any time to discuss and that makes this victory all the more special.”
