Sydney, Jan 3 : Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke has said that chief selector Andrew Hilditch and captain Ricky Ponting have been unfairly criticised.

Clarke chose to draw on Australia's past success as World Cup winners and Test cricket's top ranking in his attempt to defend Hilditch and Ponting, whose field settings and bowling tactics have been questioned, The Herald Sun reported.

"Both men have been crucial to the Australian men's team's success during this period, and I believe that they have recently received unfair criticism," Clarke said in a statement released on Saturday.