Ricky Ponting is many things, but a convincing actor at press conferences? No. He is no Russell Crowe. In fact he’s not even Martin Crowe. Which is why it was so amusing to see him rubbing his eyes and sniffing a bit and really, really trying to care about Twenty20 cricket, after the Aussies’ loss to Sri Lanka yesterday.
Ponting does not hit and giggle, and this clearly filters down to the rest of the team, no matter what anyone says. “It’s disappointing to go out of the tournament and I can’t explain why,” said the skipper, trying on his best sad-faced clown, before looking at his watch and whistling for a nearby cab. “Now we have to move on as quickly as possible and focus on the Ashes.” Translation: “Thank God that’s over. Now we can have a few days in the Lake District with the WAGS, visit the Houses of Parliament, then start thinking about proper cricket.”
“We’ve got to change things quickly,” he concluded, as his black cab disappeared down the road, with the taxi driver saying he had that Don Bradman in the back once. Never tipped…