After brilliant performances in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Australian opener David Warner showed totally dismal performances in the Ashes 2019. However, the former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has strongly defended Warner. Ponting feels that Warner will continue his place in the upcoming home Test summer.
After completing the one-year suspension period, David Warner returned to the international cricket during the CWC 2019. The left-handed batsman played impressive cricket in that entire tournament and finished as the second most run-scorer. Just one run behind of the leading run-scorer Rohit Sharma (648 runs), Warner scored 647 runs in that tournament with an average of 71.88.
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Observing those performances, many were confident that Warner would shine in the Ashes 2019 too. However, it was totally disaster experience for Warner as he only managed to score 95 runs in 10 innings with an average of 9.50. Apart from one 61 and 11 runs knocks, Warner failed to reach the double-digit marks in the remaining eight innings of Ashes 2019. In this series, Warner also scored three consecutive ducks.
David Warner is going to be a lock for the Australian summer
Despite these struggles, Ricky Ponting believes that Warner will continue his place in the upcoming home Test summer, just like Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith.
Ponting told cricket.com.au, “Warner’s going to be a lock. He’s going to be a lock for the Australian summer.
“Marnus is an absolute lock. Smith’s a lock.”
Australia will start their upcoming home Test summer through the two-match Test series against Pakistan. This series will run between 21st November and 3rd December 2019.
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Ponting is confident that Tim Paine will continue his Test captaincy. Under his captaincy, Australia have just retained their Ashes title. It is also their first away Ashes title saviour since 2001. But Ponting isn’t confident on the places of Matthew Wade and Travis Head.
He added, “(There are) still question marks around the guys in the middle, (Matthew) Wade and (Travis) Head.
“(Opener Marcus) Harris has looked Tested against good quality fast bowling in this series. (Tim) Paine will continue as the captain but there are a few spots in the batting order that they’ll be thinking about for the Pakistan series.”
Ricky Ponting sees an opportunity for Will Pucovski
Ricky Ponting likes to see Will Pucovski in the upcoming home Test summer. The 21-year-old earned his maiden international call-up during the Sri Lanka tour of Australia for the two-match Test series in last January. However, he didn’t make his international debut yet.
After playing 14 first-class matches, Pucovski has scored 939 runs (24 innings) with an average of 42.68. He has scored three centuries and three half-centuries in the first-class career.
Ponting said, “With so many gaps like that, I’d like to see somebody like a Pucovski get an opportunity.
“Everyone’s talked about him for a long time. He was in the Test squad back in Australia, he was in the Australia A squad over here.
“He hasn’t got an opportunity yet but apparently he’s quite an impressive young man.
“A couple of years before the next Ashes series you want to try and blood someone in that No.6 role and he’d be the obvious candidate.”
After the two-match Test series against Pakistan, New Zealand will come in Australia to play the three-match Test series in December 2019-January 2020.