Ponting: Sussex clash is vital to our preparations

The Australians are coming

Ricky Ponting believes the next four days at Hove could be tailor-made in helping Australia’s preparations for their defence of the Ashes.

There may have been criticism of Middlesex’s decision to sign opening batsman Phil Hughes earlier in the season and allow him to acclimatise to English conditions ahead of the Ashes battle.

But Ponting thinks the County Ground wicket will be perfect for every one of his players because he expects conditions to be similar to those Australia will encounter in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff in a fortnight.

He said: “We believe that the conditions here are more like the Cardiff wicket than anywhere else in the country so it will be good to get used to the pace and the bounce.

“It will be a good opportunity for our bowlers to get used to English conditions and get used to the lines and lengths they have to bowl.”

While England named three spinners in their Ashes training squad yesterday, Australia only have one specialist slow bowler in 27-year-old Nathan Hauritz and Ponting believes the off-spinner from Queensland can expect to bowl plenty of overs on what is likely to be a typically slow Hove surface.

When an Australia side including Ponting and Brett Lee last visited Hove in 2001 there was a definite end of tour feel to the fixture with the Ashes already won.

The scenario ahead of the 33rd meeting between the county and the tourists – which Sussex have only won twice – could not be different.

Since being unexpectedly eliminated at the first round stage from the Twenty20 World Cup the Australians have been based in Leicester for a 12-day training camp and their captain admits they are desperate to play a competitive game again, even though the fact that it is now 12-a-side means the fixture has lost its first class status.

Ponting said: “We are playing 12 players in this game but that doesn’t mean we will just be using it as practise.

“We will play the game to win, there’s no doubt about that. It will be four days of good quality cricket which I hope the fans enjoy watching as well.

Read the full article at The Argus website >>>