Ponting ranks Nagpur and Sydney Tests as worst time of career

Melbourne, Nov 13 (PTI) Hurt by the criticism over his leadership role in Nagpur, under-fire Australian captain Ricky Ponting has ranked the 'over-rate controversy' there as his toughest time in cricket along with last summer's Sydney fiasco.

Since the Nagpur Test against India, Ponting's captaincy
has been under scanner for using part-time bowlers to peg back
a slow over-rate at a crucial time when Australia needed to
press for a win in last week's final Test to level the series.

He was accused of avoiding a personal one-Test suspension
for slow over-rate ahead of pursuing victory against India
and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

At the launch of his 'Captain's Diary 2208' in Sydney,
Ponting compared the pressure on him in the aftermath of
Nagpur loss to that after the controversy-packed Sydney Test
against India in January which saw former greats and
commentators calling for his head.

"(Sydney) was probably the most difficult time I've had
to deal with as an Australian captain and an Australian player
and I'm probably confronting the other one right at the
moment," said Ponting.

However, Ponting got the backing of Cricket Australia
chief executive James Sutherland and his team-mates at this
crisis hour.

"He (Ponting) is a player who has always put the team
first and he has never measured success by personal
statistics.

"Any suggestion that he put himself first ahead of the
team last week in Nagpur is completely off beam and can only
come from someone who does not know him or understand him,"
Sutherland said. PTI PDS
AM