Ricky Ponting gives his views on who should open for Australia in Ashes 2025
'The batters that they're talking about in the last couple of weeks in particular have been Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja, and then there was some talk about Cameron Green, whether he's a long-term number three or not,' Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting said on the ICC Review. 'Green's second innings in the West Indies might have put that to bed. As tough as the conditions were, the way he batted might have silenced a few of those critics,' he said.
'I read a really interesting piece by Robert Craddock about how they tried to protect Sam from the Sri Lanka tour, thinking the Caribbean would be easier. But it turned out the pitches in Sri Lanka were better for batting and the West Indies surfaces were tough,' Ponting explained.
'That last match where the West Indies were bowled out for 27 – that's not just world-class bowling, that's also about the surface and conditions,' he added. 'The unfortunate thing about Test cricket is that, when you're a young player, you often have to work things out yourself – in the middle,' Ponting said. 'Practice, coaching, advice, they all help, but finding a method that works for you happens out there in real match situations,' he concluded.
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