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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on Thursday threw his support behind Australia’s current top-order lineup for the upcoming highly anticipated Ashes series against England later this year. Speaking on the ICC digital, Ponting offered his thoughts on who should occupy the top three batting positions for the Ashes and the start of Australia’s new World Test Championship cycle.
“The batters that they’re talking about in the last couple of weeks in particular have been Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja, and then there was some talk about Cameron Green, whether he’s a long-term number three or not,” Ponting said.
He believed the current trio will remain unchanged, including the embattled Konstas and urged selectors to stay the course.
“Green’s second innings in the West Indies might have put that to bed. As tough as the conditions were, the way he batted might have silenced a few of those critics,” he said.
He acknowledged that there are a few matches left to make a strong case for selection.
“I read a really interesting piece by Robert Craddock about how they tried to protect Sam from the Sri Lanka tour, thinking the Caribbean would be easier. But it turned out the pitches in Sri Lanka were better for batting and the West Indies surfaces were really tough,” he explained.
Ponting believed the conditions have played a significant role in Konstas’s challenges, noting that Australia’s initial plan to shield him from the difficult Sri Lanka tour backfired.
“That last match where the West Indies were bowled out for 27 – that’s not just world-class bowling, that’s also about the surface and conditions,” he added.
He recalled how he only managed one century in his first two years in the format after debuting at the age of 20.
“The unfortunate thing about Test cricket is that, when you’re a young player, you often have to work things out yourself – in the middle,” Ponting said.
“Practice, coaching, advice they all help, but finding a method that works for you happens out there in real match situations,” he concluded.
