"Can't Excuse": Ponting's Slams Australia Batters After Meltdown vs Bangladesh
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has hit out at the hosts' batters following a dismal day one performance against Bangladesh in the ongoing first Test, adding that their early season rustiness meant they were outplayed and outwitted by the visitors' bowling line-up. Australia were bowled out for a paltry 198 after opting to bat first, with Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud tearing through the lineup with figures of 6-55. Now with Bangladesh's lead crossing 150, it meant the focus is back on Australia's shoddy batting performance, where barring Steve Smith (71), no one made a notable contribution. "There was a lot of early-season rustiness, they haven't played for a long time, but you can't excuse some of the technical issues and flaws we saw from the top order in particular. I was surprised Australia actually chose to bat, especially with Bangladesh coming off just 54 in the warm-up game. “The Australian seamers on that wicket yesterday morning would ...
