Continuing with the mind games that the Australians are famous for, Captain Ricky Ponting sat out the IPL and is now airing his view that the English players should have done the same. Ponting’s four weeks away from international cricket have “relaxed and rejuvenated” him as he was quoted having told the cricket news reporters as at Trent Bridge, England. He also felt that the English players should have followed his example and refrained from participating in the IPL.

Ponting indicated that injuries were caused or exacerbated by the players’ participation in the IPL (Flintoff’s IPL knee injury that required surgery and Pietersen’s Achilles tendon injury which caused him to sit out the ODI against West Indies). Ponting also said that he understood the decision of the English stars to participate in the IPL, with each of them having fetched record sums ($1.55 million each) at the IPL auction; that the money was a “great incentive” for them.

Not participating in the IPL, according to Ponting was good for him and other Aussies. "But for us it was a great opportunity to step away from cricket for a few weeks and make sure we're in the best shape we could be in. For me it was pretty simple, it was about how long our summer was and how much cricket we played. It was a good opportunity for me to have a couple of weeks off (international) cricket and make sure that when I got here for the start of this tournament I was in the best physical and mental shape I could be," Ponting said in the cricket news.

As the Aussies are wont to do prior to the beginning of a series, Ponting proceeded to try and undermine the English by suggesting that the English players are weary and that the Aussies have that much of an advantage over them. He then proceeded speak about Flintoff’s lack of current fitness and how he would not be able to make as much of an impact for his team as he has done earlier. "From 2005 to 2007 we saw two completely different players and that had a lot to do with the level of fitness that he had under his belt going into each series. That's where they're going to have a tough decision to make. I don't know where Pietersen's at, at the moment, I'm not sure how bad his problem is, but they could face something similar there as well," said Ponting in the cricket news.

One wonders if his is a premonition of things to come or merely wishful thinking…

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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