Wessels blames ‘ageing’ Ponting’s ‘fading reflexes’ for repeated failures
Submitted by Rajiv Dhoot on Thu, 11/22/2012 - 08:28.
Sydney, Nov 22 : Former South Africa batsman Kepler Wessels believes veteran Ricky Ponting's incessant failure against top quality fast bowling attack is down to his fading reflexes.
Ponting, who is a month shy of his 38th birthday, has amassed 568 runs at 56.80 so far in 2012, which is his best calendar year in six seasons, but there are mounting concerns Australia''s greatest Test run scorer has lost his scoring boots and struggles technically when facing express pace.
"The truth is at 35 and 36, I was just off the pace. I retired from international cricket at age 37 and I felt then I was past my best. It is difficult. I don''t think Ricky is gone by any means but it does get more difficult to score runs at his age," News. com. au quoted Wessels, a saying.
"Personally, I felt in my late 30s I could still survive maybe on experience and know-how but the sharpness I had at the top order early in my career just wasn''t there. It wasn''t a case of work ethic, if anything I worked harder to try and compensate for what I thought wasn''t there but it''s a natural progression," he added.
Ponting is adamant his passion for Test cricket has yet to diminish, but Wessels thinks the reality is the Tasmanian''s reflexes are slowing down.
"It''s just the reflex action that you had in your absolute prime where you pounced on anything loose. You were really quick to react at your peak, but you only need to be a fraction slower and you begin to struggle," Wessels said.
"It is difficult for Ricky and I think for him in Adelaide, if the deck is flatter and the ball is a bit older, he might be OK. But he has to keep working pretty hard," he added. (ANI)
Similar
- Clarke says Australian fast bowlers raring to take on Proteas in Adelaide Test
- Clarke rejects Watson rift rumours
- Clarke says Australia won’t budge from aggressive playing style
- Cowan admits self-doubts emerged in mind before Gabba Test century
- Physiotherapist says Watson’s running technique, not playing overload causing injuries
Madrid, May 21 : Jose Mourinho's three-year term as coach of Spanish football giants Real Madrid will end June 30.
St. Petersburg, May 21 : The completion date for Zenit St. Petersburg's $1.1 billion stadium has been put back again and it may not open until 2017, a decade after construction work began, the head 
New Delhi, May 21 : While refusing to ban the remaining IPL matches, the Supreme Court Tuesday slammed the BCCI, saying spot fixing incidents had taken place due to its lackadaisical approach in reining in the erring players. 
Hyderabad, May 21 - West Indies captain Darren Sammy says he was ecstatic after scoring the winning hits that propelled Sunrisers Hyderabad into the playoffs of the Indian Premier league (IPL). 
Mumbai, May 15 : India's only motorcycle Grand Prix team resumes battle in France this weekend with high hopes of strong results after a top-10 start for the all-new Mahindra Grand Prix machine. 
Dijon-Prenois (France), May 13 : Indian racing driver Sailesh Bolisetti's second weekend of his 2013 Euro Race Car campaign ended on a disappointing note as he finished 18th and 17th in the two races here.