MUMBAI: There was a famous picture of
little Emmy Charlotte playing in the arms of father Ricky Ponting at Headingley
in August this year. The picture is rare because it is the only one that
captures the Australian captain in a cheerful mood during an otherwise
mind-numbing series.

Think about the other ones that usually have
Ponting in the frame. An arrogant, gum-chewing, ruthless captain of a highly
dominating team, not known to take the slightest of insults (read: lack of
performance) lightly. That’s the Ponting a cricket fan would usually identify
with. Why just the fan, that’s the Ponting even his teammates more often than
not identify with.

When Shane Watson was asked if the Australian
national team is used to seeking advice from some of the game’s stalwarts Down
Under, he said, “Why would you need anyone when you have one of the all-time
greats right there with you. Ricky’s someone the whole team looks up
to.”

Ponting’s contribution to the game doesn’t need a mention. That
he’s right behind Sachin Tendulkar in the run-scoring department is explanation
enough. In fact, he’s got more. Something that Tendulkar has perhaps only
yearned for in 20 years: three World Cup wins, two as captain; two Champions
Trophy wins, both as captain and a cupboard full of awards honouring him as the
world’s best.

“Oh yes, he’s at the forefront, right up there as far
as our set-up is concerned,” says present national coach Tim Nielsen, explaining
at large Ponting’s influence in Australian cricket. “Ricky is a decision-maker
and his word carries a lot of weight. Whether it concerns selection matters, the
line-up, the batting order, he’s got a huge say. We contribute, but he’s
definitely the one out there handling things.”

Australia’s Mr.
Cricket, Michael Hussey, is equally in awe of the skipper. “Mr. Cricket? Why
just me? Most of these guys can be called that. They’re all as dedicated to the
game. There’s Ricky, he’s as good an example there is.”

To Hussey’s
knowledge – and there’s quite a bit of that to his credit – Ponting’s genius is
not just one that usually brings him runs. “He is at the core of a lot of
things, deciding on strategies, batting order, handing out responsibilities,”
says the southpaw.

Shane Warne famously nicknamed Ponting as ‘Punter’
due to his fascination for racing greyhounds and betting on them. He breeds them
for racing and bets because he’s quite sure of himself. That’s what Ponting’s
been doing with the Aussie team, nurturing them to get the best out of
them.

Evaluating Ponting’s contribution to the game and Australian
cricket is as difficult as quantifying the joy and happiness he gets while
playing with his daughter.

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board
chairman Ejaz Butt is visiting India next week reportedly to hold talks with
Indian cricket officials for a bilateral One-day series at a neutral venue next
year.

Butt confirmed today he would hold meetings with the Pakistan
High Commissioner in New Delhi and meet Indian board and government officials
there, but refused to divulge the details.

“I don’t want to go into
the details of this visit and I will give details when I return home,” Butt
said.

Sources close to Butt indicated that the visit was linked to
attempts by Pakistan to convince the Indian board and International Cricket
Council to arrange a bilateral one-day series at a neutral venue next year.

He is also expected to discuss with the Indian Cricket Board
officials the Future Tours Programme and Pakistani players’ participation in the
Indian Premier League.

“It is no secret that the PCB is keen to play
a short bilateral series with India even at a neutral venue and has also sought
the cooperation of the ICC in this regard,” a source said.

He said
Butt’s meeting with Pakistan High Commissioner and Indian board officials could
also be linked to paving the way for Pakistani players to eventually take part
in the third Indian Premier League season next year.

“Pakistani
players are keen to take part in the lucrative IPL next year after having missed
out on the opportunity this year. The Indian board will have to seek clearance
from its government to play Pakistan in a bilateral series at a neutral venue or
allow Pakistani players to take part in the IPL,” the source added.

Butt also confirmed that China had offered to host the next Asia Cup
and for this purpose was preparing an international standard ground.

“China is keen to play host and it is an exciting prospect for Asian
cricket,” he said.

Malaysia was initially picked as the venue for
the next Asia Cup at the last Asian Cricket Council meeting.

Sources
said Butt could also utilise his visit to hold talks with the Indian officials
about the possibility of having the tournament in China.

MELBOURNE: Australia’s cricket coach
Tim Nielsen feels struggling Indian pacer Ishant Sharma was bound to go through
the lean phase he is currently enduring as he has been forced to lead the
bowling attack too early in his career.

“Sharma’s an example of
young players when they do start well there’s expectation on them the whole way
through, they find it difficult, they become targeted by opposition teams,”
Nielsen was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Rather
than being the second or third fast bowler in the group, you all of a sudden
become the one everyone’s very aware of. They haven’t had Zaheer Khan playing
for them for the last little while through injury, so he’s had to take on a
leadership mantle. All those things add up to mean more responsibility and more
pressure,” he said.

India and Australia start a seven-match ODI
series from October 25 in Vadodara and Ishant’s lean patch is a concern in the
host camp.

The 21-year-old speedster, who came across as an exciting
talent when he first burst into the international stage, is miserably out of
form currently, coming a cropper at last month’s Champions Trophy.

Nielsen said Ishant’s poor form could be one of the reasons why the
Indian Cricket Board sacked bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach
Robin Singh.

“That may be one of the reasons why they’ve changed
their staff, trying to spark a bit of a change of message or voice to their
younger players who might’ve gone a little off the boil over the last little
while,” Nielsen said.

Prasad and Singh were with the Indian team
since 2007 but never got a formal contract. The two were sacked after the team’s
Champions Trophy debacle with the BCCI issuing just a one-line statement to
confirm their ouster.

Nielsen said such sackings make it seem that
the Indian Board was looking for a scapegoat.

“When you have a
result like (India) did in the ICC Champions Trophy and then you lose some staff
at that time, it always looks like they’re the ones who’ve been made the
scapegoats, so it’s unfortunate for them and something they’ll have to deal with
in the next little while,” he said.

“From our perspective, one of
the things we try to maintain with our staffing and the way we approach it is
that we’re aiming and wanting to win and preparing as such for every series we
play in.

“But if things don’t go exactly to plan there’s no point
having huge clean-outs or changing over your personnel either staffing or
playing-wise. I feel as though we’ve got an excellent staff working well
together. The young players and the older players are responding really well to
them,” he added.

MELBOURNE,
December 30:

Australia on Sunday retained the 12-member squad that played
in the first Test against India here for the second match in Sydney starting
January 2.

“The same squad of 12 which represented Australia in the
first 3 mobile Test match against India at the MCG is selected for the second 3
mobile Test match, which begins at the SCG on January 2,” Cricket Australia (CA)
said in a statement after a National Selection Panel meeting.

Australia thumped India by 337 runs in the first Test on Saturday to
take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

With the Sydney Cricket
Ground (SCG) known to assist spin, Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg, who picked up four
wickets in the first Test here, is likely to retain his place in the final XI
ahead of slinger Shaun Tait.

The
Squad:

Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Stuart
Clark, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques,
Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait.