Winning the series opener could not dilute Ricky Ponting’s anger and the Australian captain is absolutely furious, claiming that the Champions League Twenty20 hindered his team’s preparation for the ongoing ODI series against India.
Three players of the Australian squad — Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz and Doug Bollinger — joined the team in Vadodara on the night before the match, after guiding New South Wales Blues to the Champions League Twenty20 title in Hyderabad on Friday.
The NSW trio missed four training sessions and the pre-match team meeting as well.
While all three arrived fatigued, Lee had this additional complaint of a sore elbow, which eventually kept him out of action towards the end of Sunday’s ODI and made him doubtful for the second match in Nagpur.
“There’s no doubt those guys playing in the (Champions League) final hindered our preparation,” Ponting said.
“We had three players fly in and get to the hotel at 8.30 pm on Saturday night and we’re leaving the hotel at 7 am on match morning. There was not much time for us to get our team tactics in order. We had a team meeting after training and those blokes were not even here,” Ponting was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press (AAP) .
“It hindered our preparation and theirs,” he added.
Australia still managed to scrape through to a hard-earned four-run win and Ponting said having all players around is now a big relief for him.
“Now we have our whole group together we will be able to talk tactics through and see how we go from there,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lee and all-rounder James Hopes are doubtful for Australia’s second ODI against India due to their injuries.
Hopes picked up a hamstring strain, the gravity of which would be ascertained once the team management receives scan results.
Lee is also doubtful because of the sore elbow and he would have to clear a fitness test before he is cleared for the Nagpur tie.
Ponting too sounded unsure of Lee’s availability and said, “He got a little bit sore in his elbow towards the end of his second bowling spell.
“He came off and had it looked at then came back on and fielded for the rest of the game but right at the moment we are not sure,” added the Australian captain.
