Ponting excited by young talent
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Last time Australia visited South Africa, the then-debutant Stuart Clark seamed the ball so dangerously that he was the Player of the Series as Australia went home with a 3-0 win. There is no Clark on this tour - he is still recovering from elbow surgery - but Ricky Ponting hopes Peter Siddle can step into his shoes.
"Peter Siddle is probably the bowler who is most like Stuey," Ponting said ahead of Thursday's first Test in Johannesburg. "He is not a real swinger of the ball but he gets the seam up and hits the seam all the time. That's what Stuey did over here so well last time."
Siddle is part of such a green attack that with four Tests under his belt he is its second most experienced member. On the 2005-06 trip Clark, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz formed a powerful pace line-up and then of course there was Shane Warne. Ponting expects the pitches to be different this time around.
"They were really worried about Warney last time which is why they had a fair bit of juice in them," Ponting said. "No Warney this time so I think they might be a bit flatter wickets or a bit better batting wickets anyway.
"That's the exciting part of our attack. Siddle hits the seam all the time, Mitch [Johnson] has got out and out pace and can knock any batsman over and [Ben] Hilfenhaus and [Doug] Bollinger can support them with some good swing bowling."
Local knowledge prompted South Africa's AB de Villiers to predict plenty of swing at the Wanderers and Ponting is also anticipating movement. That means Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel should combine to create a big threat for Australia's top order, which will include the 20-year-old opener Phillip Hughes.
"Peter Siddle is probably the bowler who is most like Stuey," Ponting said ahead of Thursday's first Test in Johannesburg. "He is not a real swinger of the ball but he gets the seam up and hits the seam all the time. That's what Stuey did over here so well last time."
Siddle is part of such a green attack that with four Tests under his belt he is its second most experienced member. On the 2005-06 trip Clark, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz formed a powerful pace line-up and then of course there was Shane Warne. Ponting expects the pitches to be different this time around.
"They were really worried about Warney last time which is why they had a fair bit of juice in them," Ponting said. "No Warney this time so I think they might be a bit flatter wickets or a bit better batting wickets anyway.
"That's the exciting part of our attack. Siddle hits the seam all the time, Mitch [Johnson] has got out and out pace and can knock any batsman over and [Ben] Hilfenhaus and [Doug] Bollinger can support them with some good swing bowling."
Local knowledge prompted South Africa's AB de Villiers to predict plenty of swing at the Wanderers and Ponting is also anticipating movement. That means Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel should combine to create a big threat for Australia's top order, which will include the 20-year-old opener Phillip Hughes.