MELBOURNE – Under-siege Ricky Ponting should remain captain of Australia despite the spectre of losing the Ashes series against England, team vice-captain Michael Clarke said Sunday.
Clarke vouched his support for Ponting’s captaincy as Australia endured one of their worst Test days and now face a mountain to climb to save the fourth Test after England seized command on the opening day.
England routed Australia for 98 and were 59 runs ahead at 157 without loss at the end of a lopsided day’s play in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
It was Australia’s lowest total in 133 years of Ashes Tests at the MCG and Ponting’s wretched series continued with another cheap dismissal for 10. He has scores of 10, 51 not out, 0, 9, 12, 1 and now 10 in this series and he faces the grim prospect of losing his third Ashes series as Australian captain over the coming week.
But Ponting received staunch support from his deputy Clarke, who said Pnting had the support of every player in the Australian team. “I think Ricky has been a wonderful leader and an amazing player for a long time,” Clarke told a post-match press conference.
“I think his record in international cricket speaks for itself. “I know he’s copped a fair bit of criticism of late and no doubt he would like to be scoring more runs, as a lot of us would be.”
