Ponting Pleased With Victory

12 Mar 2010

Australia captain Ricky Ponting highlighted the performance of his bowlers as being of vital importance in yesterday's victory over rivals New Zealand in the latest One Day International.

The Aussies won by 6 wickets after just 31.1 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis system and their Skipper was delighted by the manner of their victory.

Ponting, speaking after the match, said: “"We've tried to keep attacking. We feel in these conditions on these wickets and these grounds being as quick as they are, if you don't take wickets through those middle overs then you really are exposed at the end of the innings.
 
"That's been my philosophy through this series to try and keep attacking from the first ball to the 30-over mark and try and put them out of the game before we get to the end.

"That's what we've been able to do. The bowlers have done a great job and as the series has gone on our fielding has got better as well.”
Ponting's men are looking in good form and have  managed to win the Chappell-Hadlee Series 3-1, a feat that will go down well back in Australia.

The victorious captain added: “"Once you put teams under the sort of pressure we had them under today it becomes pretty hard to get into the game.
 
"Our wicket-taking ability through the middle has been the difference in the game."
 
New Zealand's skipper Daniel Vettori was, understandably, less pleased with his team's efforts.

"If you look at most of the dismissals they are relatively soft dismissals," acknowledged Vettori.
 
"They are just poor mistakes and whether it is the mental shift from the aggressiveness to the accumulation I'm not too sure.

"But they are mistakes that shouldn't happen constantly and they have in these last three games.”

Both sides will be hoping the series will prove an adequate warm up for the Twenty20 World Cup, which begins next month.

Australia are hot favourites to win the trophy with William Hill at 7/2 with New Zealand outsiders, but many peoples dark-horses to be victorious at 10/1.

All odds correct at time of writing and are subject to change