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Re: Ponting 'must be sacked'
ps.
Following from my previous post, other ridiculously dominant/successful Australian teams/individuals that the Australian public generally like/love/admire:
Rod Laver, Ian Thorpe, Kieren Perkins, Australian Rugby Team captained by John Eales... I'm sure we can all add more to this list.
Even Steve Waugh's team, though tough and uncompromising (and crossed the line on several occasions) had the respect of the public. In my opinion, it was because Steve Waugh himself, although a fiercely competitive and patriotic warrior, on the whole carried himself with maturity, more a statesman in the mold of Mark Taylor, and his team seemed to unintentionally cross the line by being overly-competitive, a failing towards which the Australian public is a lot more sympathetic (thus the continued support in many quarters for our Lleyton), but this team crosses the line (or straddles it) by being too clever by half and gamesmanship (which is just a euphemism, of course, for borderline cheating), and comes across as severely childish at times. Ponting, a brilliant batsman and a very good (and lucky) captain tactically, has never been one for niceties or statesmanship (thus immediately appealing to those of us in this country who fancy ourselves as 'battlers'), and comes off churlish and immature in the media whenever his team or himself is criticised. The team do themselves no favours with their apparent arrogance and immaturity in handling criticism. Much of this furor could have been diffused with a more diplomatic and mature hand than the uber-defensive and pouty behaviour shown by Ponting himself and James Sutherland (head of Cricket Australia). Again, rightly or wrongly, as the cricket team is seen as supposed ambassadors of our country, it is a difficult quandary emotionally for many of us who love the institution known as the Australian Cricket Team but regret being represented by individuals (not all, it must be said) who come across as highly-paid, spoilt, and borderline dishonest sportsmen.
I cheered heartily when Steve Waugh's all-conquering team set the record, and I would have loved to have been able to do the same when this team pulled off the feat of equaling it. Unfortunately, that was not to be for many of us, and for me it had nothing whatsoever to do with dominance or success or anything of the sort. It was simply the bad taste left in the mouth from going-ons (from both teams) from day three to five of this test that, for all the brilliance of the on-field action, was simply 'not cricket'.
ps.
Following from my previous post, other ridiculously dominant/successful Australian teams/individuals that the Australian public generally like/love/admire:
Rod Laver, Ian Thorpe, Kieren Perkins, Australian Rugby Team captained by John Eales... I'm sure we can all add more to this list.
Even Steve Waugh's team, though tough and uncompromising (and crossed the line on several occasions) had the respect of the public. In my opinion, it was because Steve Waugh himself, although a fiercely competitive and patriotic warrior, on the whole carried himself with maturity, more a statesman in the mold of Mark Taylor, and his team seemed to unintentionally cross the line by being overly-competitive, a failing towards which the Australian public is a lot more sympathetic (thus the continued support in many quarters for our Lleyton), but this team crosses the line (or straddles it) by being too clever by half and gamesmanship (which is just a euphemism, of course, for borderline cheating), and comes across as severely childish at times. Ponting, a brilliant batsman and a very good (and lucky) captain tactically, has never been one for niceties or statesmanship (thus immediately appealing to those of us in this country who fancy ourselves as 'battlers'), and comes off churlish and immature in the media whenever his team or himself is criticised. The team do themselves no favours with their apparent arrogance and immaturity in handling criticism. Much of this furor could have been diffused with a more diplomatic and mature hand than the uber-defensive and pouty behaviour shown by Ponting himself and James Sutherland (head of Cricket Australia). Again, rightly or wrongly, as the cricket team is seen as supposed ambassadors of our country, it is a difficult quandary emotionally for many of us who love the institution known as the Australian Cricket Team but regret being represented by individuals (not all, it must be said) who come across as highly-paid, spoilt, and borderline dishonest sportsmen.
I cheered heartily when Steve Waugh's all-conquering team set the record, and I would have loved to have been able to do the same when this team pulled off the feat of equaling it. Unfortunately, that was not to be for many of us, and for me it had nothing whatsoever to do with dominance or success or anything of the sort. It was simply the bad taste left in the mouth from going-ons (from both teams) from day three to five of this test that, for all the brilliance of the on-field action, was simply 'not cricket'.
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