SPORTS

Cricket, not revenge, on mind: Ponting

October 16, 2007 20:56 IST

Australia captain Ricky Ponting is focused on his team returning to top form rather than seeking revenge against India for defeat at last month's Twenty20 World Cup.

- Images: India playing for pride

Australia, who are 50-over world champions, have taken a winning 4-1 lead in the seven-match one-day series with only Wednesday's game left. The opening match was washed out.

"Coming after a long break, I think all the guys were really keen to get back to playing some very good cricket again," Ponting told a news conference on Tuesday.

"We didn't play our best in Twenty20 but since we have been here, I don't think we could have done much more," he said.

Australia, returning after a six-month break, were beaten by surprise winners India in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

In India they have made few mistakes, however.

"We played some excellent cricket, probably highlighted by the last couple of games that we have played. So all in all we were not coming here trying to seek vengeance on anybody," Ponting said.

A final decision on opener Matthew Hayden's fitness will be taken on the morning of the match.

In-form Hayden missed the previous game in Nagpur with a sore hip.

"At the moment he's not certain of playing but we are not ruling him out either," Ponting said.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

NEXT ARTICLE

NewsBusinessMoviesSportsCricketGet AheadDiscussionLabsMyPageVideosCompany Email