Ponting back to haunt Black Caps
Australian cricketing great Ricky Pointing is returning to haunt the Black Caps.
The former Aussie skipper has been confirmed as one of the assistant coaches for February’s
Twenty20 Tri-Series involving New Zealand, Australia and England to be played on either side of the Tasman.
The ruthless Ponting held a spell over the Black Caps during his stellar test career, losing just one test in 17 against the Black Caps with 11 wins and five draws. He also relished batting against the Black Caps in tests, averaging
53.80 with two centuries and six
50s.
But he has quickly and successfully developed into a T20 coaching specialist.
Recently appointed head coach of Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Daredevils, Ponting is an IPL-title winning coach with the Mumbai Indians. He is also a Big Bash League TV commentator.
‘‘It’s the most tactical game of all three formats and that’s what excites me,’’ Ponting said as his national appointment under head coach Darren Lehmann was confirmed.
‘‘I seem to spend my whole life around Twenty20 cricket now with commentating on the Big Bash and coaching in the IPL,’’ Ponting said.
‘‘I think I’ve got a pretty good grasp on the game and we’ll see how it goes.
‘‘I’ve got a bit of a coaching bug, I love being around the game and being around the best players and I love being able to feel like you’ve got some impact on the way they play their cricket.’’
Ponting, who is likely to concentrate on the batting department, had a similar role on a temporary basis last year in a T20 series against Sri Lanka.
There is talk of splitting up the Australian coaching roles across the formats to ease the pressure and Ponting is being suggested as the man to lead the T20 team.
‘‘There’s a fair bit of talk about splitting the (head coach) roles up and I’m just delighted my name is one that’s come up ...’’ Ponting said.
‘‘But we’ll wait and see how this goes first. I know I’d enjoy it if I had the opportunity to do it and if I could make it work in with the other commitments ...’’
T20 came late in Ponting’s playing career and he played in just 17 internationals, with his best effort an unbeaten 98 against New Zealand at Eden Park in 2005.
New Zealand play Australia in Sydney and Auckland in the TriSeries with the final slated for Eden Park on February 21.