ddb wrote:shankybiggestengfan wrote:People who are writing off Ponting,just look at Tendulkar guys.
Form is temporary,class is permanent.Punter is still a great player IMO.
He has at least another 3 yrs left in him.He looked in exellent touch in the ODIs btw.
How many players have done what Tendulkar did?
Both have a year or two max.
In Punter's last 3 years, he has averaged 38.5. That's over 34 matches. That's a long time to be not doing particularly well and batting at 3.
Go back 4 years which gives him 43 matches and his average is still only 40.57.
All this class is permanent stuff doesn't mean a lot when you look at the bald stats. He doesn't really score tons very often anymore and against proper quick bowling he'll get himself out sooner rather than later top-edging the pull shot as he can't control the instincts there. Second innings last test was a bloody text book example and the bowler wasn't even quick.
Punter is ok at ODI, he has never had a poor run there, but his test career is a different story and it is one of the reasons why the Aussies collapse so much. Once the openers are gone, the dominos start tumbling.
If Punter is still not pulling his weight by the end of the Indian series (I'd prefer the end of the SA series, but I'm not that much of an optimist) and making no noises about retirement apart from saying that 'he can't see the end', I hope there is enough ruthlessness around to stick the knife in as the Argus report may as well not have happened if they are going to let him call time himself.
I'd like Clarke himself to do it so we can hear Punter say 'Et tu, Brutus?' or at least, 'Jeez, Pup, deadset, I thought we were mates.'