Cricket icon Ricky Ponting has lashed out at England for using an underhanded tactic in a failed attempt to put Australia off their game in the teams’ series-deciding one-day clash on Sunday.
The former Test skipper slammed the home side for time-wasting as they fell to the old enemy in Bristol.
With the match shortened due to a rain delay, the Aussies needed to bat for 20 overs to secure a result – and England tried their best to delay the game in the hope more rain would wash it out.
With just over two overs left to bowl, England’s Matthew Potts called for new boots and the minutes ticked by as a substitute fielder fetched some footwear for him.
The match officials were unimpressed – and so was the commentary team.
‘The umpire is looking at him [Potts] with a degree of displeasure. This is nonsense,’ commentator Geoff Lemon said on the BBC’s coverage.
‘We’ve seen this movie before,’ Ponting chimed in.
‘This is getting funnier by the minute. We can see that there’s nothing wrong with the boot.’
The umpires were less than impressed when England’s Matthew Potts (kneeling, right) made a dodgy request with the deciding ODI match on the line in Bristol
Aussie cricket legend Ricky Ponting (pictured in England during the series) called the home team out for the obvious time-wasting tactic
However, the sneaky tactic didn’t do England any good.
Player-of-the series Travis Head also cracked valuable runs as Australia won their race against the wretched weather to come out on top by 49 runs on the DLS method.
Head, who began the series with a glorious ton, ended it with surprisingly masterful bowling, taking 4-28 off 6.2 overs, before his quickfire 31, allied to a record-breaking half-century from Matt Short, sealed the deal just before the deluge came.
Pursuing England’s formidable 309, the focus had been on whether Australia could score enough over their first 20 overs to get ahead on DLS.
They did just that, racing along to 1-103 over the first 10-over powerplay before ending up at 2-165 – perfect timing, as it turned out, with heavy rain starting on cue just four balls after the 20-over mark.
Travis Head (pictured left) made another valuable contribution to an Aussie victory as he was awarded player of the series honours
Steve Smith was on 36no alongside Josh Inglis (28no) with Australia able to prevail after three testing weeks beset by injuries and illness.
The latest was Marsh’s sore back, but former Test skipper Smith proved the safest pair of hands as a replacement from the moment he won a big toss and inserted England in ideal seaming conditions.
Yet he had to overcome a headache as England countered with a brutal early assault, star spinner Adam Zampa getting clouted for six sixes by England captain Harry Brook while Ben Duckett was racing to a brilliant hundred.
But by mixing and matching eight different bowlers, Smith’s part-time spinners worked marvels as England sank from 2-202 just before halfway, with 400 a seeming possibility, to 309 off 49.2 overs.
