Year after year, Ricky Ponting proves himself cricket’s Nostramdamus with uncanny and almost scary commentary predictions which more often than not come true.
But even the former Australian captain can admit when he’s wrong.
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The mystery of who will be Australia’s next Test opener is only slightly clearer after this week’s Australia A “bat-off” with Nathan McSweeney taking the lead in the four-way battle.
While questions still remain about whether he can handle the heat of opening in a Test match when he hasn’t opened at first-class level.
But while NSW teen Sam Konstas (0 and 16), Victoria’s Marcus Harris (17 and 36) and Western Australian veteran Cameron Bancroft (0 and 16) failed to impress, McSweeney put his name up in lights.
Showing great patience on a tricky wicket, 25-year-old South Australian skipper top scored in each innings of the match for Australia A to lead the side to a seven wicket win.
A patient 39 off 131 balls in the first innings followed by 88 not out off 178 balls put McSweeney to the top of the queue, with Ponting admitting he appears to be the right choice, despite having thrown his support behind Konstas.
“I was put on the spot about a week ago, and I sort of immediately went to the young guy Sam Konstas,” Ponting told the ICC Review show. “He had 스포츠토토사이트 come off back-to-back hundreds against South Australia.
“Then I thought a bit more about it and, he is so young and he has probably not even played on grounds like Optus Stadium or at the Gabba.
“He wouldn’t have played a pink-ball (match) at Adelaide Oval either. So there’s a lot of things that stack up against the young guy, although there’s no doubt that he’s got talent.”
While Konstas is third on the Sheffield Shield runscorers list with 302 runs at 75.5, a lions share of those came in the opening match of the season where he scored 152 and 105.
McSweeney however has scores of 55 and 127 not out against NSW, as well as 37 and 72 against Queensland. He also smashed 137 against Queensland in the subsequent one-day match.
