Ponting himself is no stranger to being thrown in the deep end at the highest level, making his Test debut as a 20-year-old, and only compiling the one century in the format in his first two years in the Baggy Green.
With that perspective, the ICC Hall of Famer provided invaluable insight.
“The unfortunate thing about Test cricket and when you’re a young bloke trying to find your feet is quite often you have to work it out for yourself because it’s out in the middle,” said Ponting.
“You can practice as much as you want, you can do things in the nets as much as you want, you can seek as much advice as you want, but you’ve got to find a method and something that works for you out in the middle.
“Now that might be technique-wise, it might be the way you approach it, it might be the mental side of your game, but there’s no greater experience than being out there and doing it.”
“It’s trial and error until you actually find the exact right remedy that works for you and the only way you can do that is by being out in the middle and spending some time there. I mean for Sam, I think he’s probably got that many people wanting to give him advice right now.”
“I’d be having one or two people that I’m really close to and asking for their advice and no more, and trying to keep all the noise away. It’s easy to say that with all the media outlets and social media things that are out there now, it really is hard just to lie low and not listen to any of the stuff that’s happening around you.
“But if I was him, I’d be trying to do that and I’d be keeping the preparation side and practice side as simple as possible.”
