Ricky Ponting lashes out at Australia for showing 'no desperation' in Sydney Test
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting Sunday slammed the current team for showing "no desperation" after Nathan Lyon decided against reviewing his lbw decision on day four of the fourth Test against India here.
Lyon was adjudged LBW after being hit on the pad off a Kuldeep Yadav delivery. He asked non-striker Mitchell Starc if he should opt for a review, but the duo decided against it despite two reviews remaining in their innings and only two wickets left.
At stumps on day four, Australia were bundled out for 300 in the first innings after which India enforced follow-on. The hosts then came out to bat in the second innings, trailing by 322 runs.
India had piled up a mammoth 622 in their first innings.
"That dismissal actually says a lot to me about the mindset of this Australian team at the moment. There's no desperation there whatsoever," Ponting said on Channel Seven, one of the host broadcasters.
"Why wouldn't they have had a look at that? They've still got the two reviews up their sleeve. There had to be some sort of doubt in that," Ponting added.
The former three-time World Cup winning cricketer also slammed pacer Starc, who was at the non-striker's end, for not intervening.
"Given out straight away and Mitchell Starc just puts his hand out and says 'oh well, it's not me, it's up to you to make (a call)".
"Well, unfortunately, when you're out there together it's a partnership. You've got to do whatever you can to try and save your mate. And there was absolutely none of that there," he added.
Replays suggested the ball would have probably struck Lyon outside the line of off stump and he may have been adjudged not out if DRS was taken.
"And as it's shown already that would have been given not out. Slack and not desperate enough. You can see where Mitchell Starc is standing at the non-striker's end," he added.
"One, look how wide he's standing. There's no need to be that wide in the first place. Nathan Lyon looks up, 'Oh what do you reckon?' 'Oh I don't know mate. Yeah I don't know. But let's not bother looking. We've only got two (reviews) up our sleeve," Ponting said.
