Gillespie makes exit midway as Ponting holds a brave face

Ricky Ponting is the sort of captain, who standing on the bridge, enjoys shouting a few orders over the tannoy. ‘Now hear this: On Frid...

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Ricky Ponting is the sort of captain, who standing on the bridge, enjoys shouting a few orders over the tannoy. ‘Now hear this: On Friday we are going in with the big guns; give the Sri Lankans pace blitz up front.’ It is a nice line all right. Get the opposition on the back foot and thinking about whether it is safer in the dressing room than it would have been in places like Nairobi where there was a big police presence for the game against Kenya.

All this comes of course at a time when one of the team’s front line bowlers, Jason Gillespie, is heading for home with an achilles problem; in for Gillespie is Nathan Bracken, a left-arm quick from New South Wales. Only Bracken will not be part of the attack for the opening Super Six game in World Cup 2003 on Friday as the title-holders look around at who they are going to face next. Not that it means a lot. It did not need Ponting to point out, either that with Glenn McGrath, Any Bichel and Brett Lee around the pace battery was pretty well primed with or without Gillespie.

It means that while Australia have lost two top front line bowlers there is the depth to call on someone who is able to step in without too much of a worry. It also shows just how big is the pool of quality players available. Ponting’s ‘scorched earth’ policy was revealed when asked how he planned to attack a team such as Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday.

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Forgotten amid the Ponting rhetoric is how it was Gillespie who, as first change instead of sharing the new ball, wrecked the Indian innings. Whom Australia have as a replacement is Bichel, one of four bowlers who have taken seven wickets in a World Cup innings. This was against England at St George’s Park on Sunday where he helped engineer the great Australian Escape with Michael Bevan.

It was all very much a great show and displayed the depth and belief Australia have in themselves which other teams seem to lack. Had the Po-faced Raj won that game the tabloid headline writers in London would have barely been able to contain their jingoistic joy. Just as well there is someone around such as the skipper, Ponting, to plant the feet firmly on the ground. ‘‘We know from experience the carry and bounce of this pitch,’’ Ponting said.

‘‘We still have experienced bowlers to handle the job and they (the bowlers) know what is expected. There is Brad Hogg as back up and we are quite happy about the support he has given. But yes, going up front with a full-blown attack is one way win this game. It is how we are looking at playing this game as the pitch conditions would, I should think, gives us this advantage,’’ said Ponting.

It was not all brash bravado, either. He did not need reminding either that the Australians have lost to Sri Lanka in the recent Victorian Bitter series. Or how from the New Year break Sri Lanka came back with a vengeance and ticked off a few pluses as they worked towards their World Cup campaign. There are those who might wonder about Sri Lanka’s capabilities, yet they have shown character and focus as well.