It's gamesmanship, not sledging: Ponting
Ricky Ponting is the finest batsman to come out of Tasmania. The 25-year-old has had his ups and downs, but has come back strongly each time. He has represented his country 34 times in Test matches, scoring 2,233 runs at an average of 47.51, with 197 his highest. His one-day record is equally impressive, with 3,611 runs in 101 matches at an average of 40.57. Ponting, like most Australians, is an honest and straightforward person, and is not shy of hooking the bouncers from the media. In this interview, Ponting reveals he was once approached by a bookmaker in Australia and talks about the match-fixing scenario.
Q: Ricky, does the present scenario sadden you?
A.It certainly does. t’s quite sad when you hear things that have been going on for the last four or five months. You don’t want to hear these things about the game you love so much. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is doing whatever they can to ensure that such things are taken out of the game.
Q: Have you ever been approached by a bookmaker?
A.Was I ever been approached, yes, I was. It happened in Australia a couple of years ago.
Q: Was he an Indian bookmaker?
A.No, he wasn’t an Indian. It doesn’t matter who he was. I have reported the matter to the Australian Cricket Board (ACB).
Q:Do you think the ACB is doing enough to clean up the game?
A.Certainly the ACB is doing enough to get these things out of not only Australian cricket but world cricket as well. We are now briefed thoroughly before we go on any tour about mainly being approached by bookmakers and what to do and what not to do. If you are approached you go to the team management and report it straightaway. Back in Australia, we will be signing declaration forms before each game.
Q: So much has been said about the mental toughness of the Australian cricket team. What exactly is mental toughness?
A: It’s all about fighting the odds and coming out on top when things are not going your way. Mental toughness is all about being able to adapt to different situations. Anyone can get a hundred when the going is easy, but it is certainly a bit hard to do that when your back is against the wall. That’s one area where we have worked on, never to give up, always give your hundred per cent.
Q: Talking about you in particular, you didn’t have an easy road yourself. How do you overcome the obstacles that come in your way?
A:I was dropped from the Australian Test team three times and it was a bit hard the first time round. I had come into cricket at a young age, and was one of the first guys to be picked in the side, so it was a bit of shock when I was left out of the side for the first time. Looking back, I tried too hard to get back and that put too much pressure on me. Every time I have been dropped, I have come back a better player. Every player in the Australian side has been dropped at least once, and they have all come back better players.
Q: You have had your struggle with the injuries as well
A:Yeah, I missed nine one-dayers and three Test matches last year due to injuries. It was frustrating watching the guys on television. But for the last couple of weeks I have pushed my training quite a bit. I have started doing things that I do for the full season every year. I am hopeful I will be fully fit before our next assignment.
Q: There is a talk of you being groomed as Australia’s next captain. Are you thinking on those lines?
A:Not at the moment, that’s not on my mind. The focus is to get back into the Australian team after this injury. Steve Waugh will be around for another couple of years, he’s doing a wonderful job. Well, if the captaincy comes my way, why not.
Q:You are regarded as one of the top fielders in the world. Do you work extra hard on your fielding?
A:We all work very hard on our fielding. Yeah, I do a bit of extra work, but all the drills that the Australian cricket team undergoes incorporate the essential things like throwing at the stumps With so much of one-day cricket being played, it makes it doubly hard to win if you are not a good fielding side.
Q:What are your comments on sledging? The Pakistanis and the Indians were a bit upset at the language being used when they toured Down Under last summer
A:(Laughs) We don’t call it sledging in Australia, we call it gamesmanship. As long as it doesn’t go overboard well, it’s always going to happen. As long as there is competitiveness, it’s going to happen. Cricket would be a very boring game without something being said here and there. As long as everything is healthy and in good spirit, its ok