Let Him Play | Thebigtip

The Australian cricket loving community are in a fantasy world where we are still the team we once were. We are a shell of our former selves and people need to wake up. Sacking the second greatest batsman this country has ever seen is not the answer.

Ricky Ponting is one of the best. He is still one our of best. So why are we showing him no love and trying to kick him out the back door?

The former captain deserves our upmost respect. He deserves our attention and he deserves better than what we are showing him right now. This Australian side is a young one and it needs Ricky Ponting. For the time being.

This is test cricket and you need to deserve your selection to play for your country. You need to deserve your baggy green. The same one Don Bradman once wore. Ponting has scored over 25 000 runs for us. I think he deserves to at least play out this summer without everyone bagging him.

Another thing we are failing to see in our blinding denial is there is nobody really smashing down the door to take his spot. Why replace a legend with someone who doesn’t deserve their spot. Ponting brings more than just runs to the table.

South Australian skipper Michael Klinger was tossed about as a possible selection for the first test against New Zealand at the Gabba. A guy who has failed to score a century so far this year in the Sheffield Shield and averages under 40. Sorry, but I am not replacing Ricky Ponting with Michael Klinger.

New Zealander Chris Cairns believes Ponting’s time has come.

“Previously (captain) Mark Taylor didn't have that luxury, Mark Waugh, Ian Healy, Australia have always been very aggressive with how they go about things, but in this particular instance they've allowed it to drift on” Cairns said.

Probably because we’re not replacing Taylor with Matthew Hayden. We’re not replacing Mark Waugh with Michael Clarke and we’re not replacing Ian Healy with Adam Gillchrist.

"While he's there the conjecture will always be there, the team has to put up with that and that can be quite distracting - if he doesn't score any in the Test match, they'll keep talking about it, and that drains a team as well”.

"Personally Hobart is the time to finish it. It's just whether the selectors have the foresight to let him move on.''

You can almost see Ponting opening the paper and reading Cairns’ comments and chuckling.

Someone should tap Ricky on the shoulder and tell him that his spot is safe for the summer. That he doesn’t have to worry about listening to everyone calling for his head. Michael Clarke may have already said as much.

Ponting has been a soldier for Australia for a very long time. A man who could, and still can, pillage bowling attacks single handedly. Surely he deserves some peace and the chance to soak up the summer air. We need to give him the Indian series as a parting gift. Walking out onto the Sydney Cricket Ground in the New Years test is the way he should go out.

So can we please shut up, show some respect and let him play cricket ?