Ponting and Clarke ride Australia to safety | Pakistan tour of Australia

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Today Ricky Ponting showed that why he is among the best in the business. Partnership of 231* proved that he he’s not over yet. Crucial centuries from Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting destroyed Pakistan’s bowling attack with special thanks to the drop catch which could be a disaster for the Aussies but Pakistanis are so kind that they let them another go and they make it count.

Ponting’s innings was of share class with Michael Clarke who almost took the game away from Pakistan now, Ponting was given a chance when he was on 0, Asif gave him a bouncer and he played straight to deep backward square leg where Mohammad Aamer was exactly Mohammad Aamer was standing but he dropped it and make it 14th dropped catch of the series for Pakistan. It is a great time for the fielding coach Waqar Younis for doing his job.

After a good start from the seamers once it looks like it could be a repeat performance of Sydney but fielding and defensive captaincy let Ponting and Clarke dominate and they did so. Bowling was not that bad from the Pakistanis but it’s the fielding and some glorious batting who make bowlers helpless in the field.

Ponting was nervous early with his pull shot in the mind but he soon find his rhythm and start playing his trade mark shots and in his innings he played some superb cricketing shots which shows that he’s still the best.

Michael Clarke played a classy text-booked test innings. He was very careful at the start and a bit scratchy but his job was to stay on the wicket with his captain as long as he could and he did it in great fashion, a Century is not enough to describe his innings.

Pakistani fielding is a one part where they are consistently making errors, they have to work on it really really hard if they want to compete with top teams and hope fully they are learning from it because they can’t give that king of pleasures to their opponents time and time again.