NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting cautioned the guests to brace themselves for a daring tactical change that Ben Stokes may make use of of their quest to degree the collection within the fourth Ashes Test at Manchester.
Following England’s resilient three-wicket triumph in Leeds, they stored their hopes alive on this yr’s Ashes collection and can search to duplicate that efficiency when the fourth Test commences on July 19 at Old Trafford.
Although pacer Ollie Robinson sustained a again damage on the primary day of the third Test, Ponting believes that England ought to keep on with the identical lineup as in Headingley, supplied that the right-arm bowler can reveal his health forward of the Manchester encounter.
“I think I would keep it (the England XI) exactly the same,” Ponting stated on the most recent episode of The ICC Review.
“I know it’s James Anderson’s home ground. I mean that’s the one they might think about – Anderson for Robinson maybe as Anderson’s had that week off, freshens up and goes to his home ground. I wouldn’t be changing too much if I was England but that would be the only one I’d think about, would be Anderson in for Robinson,” he added.
Due to the absence of first-choice No.3 Ollie Pope on account of damage, England elevated Harry Brook to return in at three through the first innings at Headingley, after which shocked many when all-rounder Moeen Ali was deployed in that place within the second innings.
Neither participant reached double figures when batting in that unfamiliar place, and Ponting believes Stokes will bat at No. 3 in Manchester.
“I actually thought that Ben Stokes might have batted himself at number three at Headingley when I realised that Pope was out and Moeen and Woakes came back in. To me he’s got the technique to survive at the top and Moeen hasn’t. We saw that in the second innings. I’m not sure if Harry Brook is ever going to be a top-order Test match batsman. I think he’s always going to be a four, five or six type batter with the way that he plays,” Ponting stated.
“I thought the opportunity was there for Ben because a lot of the time with Stokes and, you know this is no knock on him whatsoever as he’s a terrific player, but a lot of the time he’s got to come in and play a Mr Fix-It role when it’s almost like a damage control sort of role where I’ve always felt that if he batted at No.3 then he could sort of stop some of that damage with the technique that he’s got,” he added.
“And the fact that he’s probably not going to bowl if they go in with the same bowling attack, he’s probably not going to bowl in the Test match, so it gives him a chance to be fresher to bat up the order. So that would be something that I’d be thinking about if I was England and certainly something that Australia should be ready for,” stated the previous Australia captain.
Following England’s resilient three-wicket triumph in Leeds, they stored their hopes alive on this yr’s Ashes collection and can search to duplicate that efficiency when the fourth Test commences on July 19 at Old Trafford.
Although pacer Ollie Robinson sustained a again damage on the primary day of the third Test, Ponting believes that England ought to keep on with the identical lineup as in Headingley, supplied that the right-arm bowler can reveal his health forward of the Manchester encounter.
“I think I would keep it (the England XI) exactly the same,” Ponting stated on the most recent episode of The ICC Review.
“I know it’s James Anderson’s home ground. I mean that’s the one they might think about – Anderson for Robinson maybe as Anderson’s had that week off, freshens up and goes to his home ground. I wouldn’t be changing too much if I was England but that would be the only one I’d think about, would be Anderson in for Robinson,” he added.
Due to the absence of first-choice No.3 Ollie Pope on account of damage, England elevated Harry Brook to return in at three through the first innings at Headingley, after which shocked many when all-rounder Moeen Ali was deployed in that place within the second innings.
Neither participant reached double figures when batting in that unfamiliar place, and Ponting believes Stokes will bat at No. 3 in Manchester.
“I actually thought that Ben Stokes might have batted himself at number three at Headingley when I realised that Pope was out and Moeen and Woakes came back in. To me he’s got the technique to survive at the top and Moeen hasn’t. We saw that in the second innings. I’m not sure if Harry Brook is ever going to be a top-order Test match batsman. I think he’s always going to be a four, five or six type batter with the way that he plays,” Ponting stated.
“I thought the opportunity was there for Ben because a lot of the time with Stokes and, you know this is no knock on him whatsoever as he’s a terrific player, but a lot of the time he’s got to come in and play a Mr Fix-It role when it’s almost like a damage control sort of role where I’ve always felt that if he batted at No.3 then he could sort of stop some of that damage with the technique that he’s got,” he added.
“And the fact that he’s probably not going to bowl if they go in with the same bowling attack, he’s probably not going to bowl in the Test match, so it gives him a chance to be fresher to bat up the order. So that would be something that I’d be thinking about if I was England and certainly something that Australia should be ready for,” stated the previous Australia captain.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com