Ponting ponders over costly mistakes by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	RT Ponting, KC Sangakkara, BAW Mendis
Event:	ICC World Twenty20 2009

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DateLine: 9th June 2009

 

Ricky Ponting said that Australia's error-strewn display was what made them crash out of the ICC World T20 in the first stage.

 

Australia were defeated by six wickets by Sri Lanka on Monday and this left most of the squad with an unwanted two-week void to fill before their Ashes tour begins.

 

"The attitude around the group was great coming into the tournament, and we had some very good form in the warm-up matches," the Australia skipper said.

 

"But the way we've played in the last two games, we've made way too many mistakes. You just can't afford to do that against good teams. We had a good partnership going early on today. But we lost one wicket, then another on top of that.

 

"The spinners were able to come on and dictate to us, because we lost wickets in a row.

 

"We did a reasonable job to get to 160, I thought. But then once again with the ball, there were too many extras.

 

"When you're making mistakes with the ball to good players, they'll make you pay. It has been our mistakes that have let us down in this tournament."

 

This was Australia's fifth consecutive Twenty20 international loss.

 

Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis was crucial in Monday's game as the right-hand spinner picked up three for 20 in four overs.

 

Ponting praised the 24-year-old who was bowling against Australia for the first time.

 

"He is a unique kind of bowler," he added. "But in a Twenty20 game, you have to take the challenge up to the bowlers. Today, he got the better of us.

 

"We knew their spinners would be the most difficult for us to face, and he's certainly had a big impact on the game.

 

"It was probably the biggest difference in the game, the fact that their spinners did dictate to us through the middle of our innings.

 

"A lot of their guys have been playing Twenty20 over last few months, but we've had a few guys at the IPL as well.

 

"It's irrelevant really. We knew what we had to do and unfortunately, in the last two games, we haven't been good enough to do it."

 

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara who played a captain's special knock of 55 runs and saw his side home spoke about the importance of the Indian Premier League.

 

"It's been a wonderful experience for everybody. We have about 13 Sri Lankan players in the IPL, a few more going in next year hopefully," he said.

 

"Even if some of the players don't get consistent games the fact that they are there, they are rubbing shoulders with some of the greats of the game, they're learning from that experience, they're training hard, they're learning to innovate.

 

"And it keeps them on their toes to see how much they have to improve and really perform to be recognised in world cricket and I think that will drive our cricketers forward and upwards."

 

Sangakkara was all praise for Mendis and said that you can't ask for more from a spinner in T20 cricket.

 

"I think it was magnificent, a spin bowler coming on and bowling 20 runs for three wickets, you can't ask for more than that in Twenty20 cricket.

 

"The Aussies have never seen him before and he made the impact that was expected of him. It's great to see him bowl, it's great to have him in our side and hopefully he'll get better."