'Ashes will be acid test for Ponting'
Posted on Sep 28, 2006 at 16:28
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Tags: cricket, ashes, england
Sydney: Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell, a critic of Ricky Ponting's leadership in last year's Ashes loss to England, says this year's return series will be the defining moment of Ponting's captaincy.
Chappell, one of Australian cricket's most successful and influential captains from the 1970s and now a prominent television commentator, was critical of Ponting's tactics and leadership in last year's series in England.
He criticised Ponting's approach to captaincy and uncertain body language in comparison with the more assured England skipper Michael Vaughan.
Chappell says England, now under the leadership of star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, will provide the acid test of Ponting's leadership this southern summer.
"The real test for him is going to come if England put the heat on Australia again," Chappell told Melbourne's Herald-Sun newspaper on Thursday.
"That's when you will see whether he has changed that aspect of his captaincy a lot. He inherited a team that had a lot of senior players and he didn't want to offend any of them."
"I don't think you can captain like that. You have got to do it your way.
"That doesn't mean you have to be dictator. But you have to do it your way, particularly when it was compared to the way Michael Vaughan did in England. It looked as though one bloke was in charge and the other one was unsure.
"I don't think he is unsure but the perception is terribly important as a captain.
"If you give the slightest perception you are unsure, particularly against a good side like England in 2005, then it's a problem."
Chappell said there were still some major concerns about Ponting's team and was unconvinced the lessons of last year's series loss have been learnt.
He was worried about the strength of Australia's batting and said Ponting had to be more assertive in his tactics and leadership.
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