Australia lost the One-Day International series against the hosts 3-2, were whitewashed in the two-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan and despite winning the first Test at Lord’s by 150 runs, the loss at Leeds meant that Ponting has failed to win a Test series in England as captain.
With 98 runs in the Test series, Ponting admitted that he, and the team, had a lot of work to do before their tour of India and the Ashes later this year.
“A loss quite often highlights things that you’re not doing well and so we need to work harder and not take things for granted,” said Ponting after the three-wicket loss. “But I don’t think it’s going to dent our confidence too much. You want to win every game that you play but we’ve not been at our absolute best in this series.
The captain admitted that being dismissed for 88 after opting to bat first in bowler-friendly conditions had a huge impact on the game. Despite admitting the amount of movement on the opening morning took the Australians by surprise, Ponting lauded the efforts of Pakistan’s bowling attack, singling out Mohammad Asif, for inflicting the loss on his side.
“We’ve been outplayed all-round by Pakistan. Asif, in particular, was the best bowler in the match and he did really well in these conditions. He’s perfectly suited to English conditions and is able to move the ball both ways. That’s what you need here.
“No doubt this attack, that includes Mohammed Aamer who not only has good pace and swing but also thinks about the game really smartly, will do well in the future.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2010.
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