Punter goes in to bat for skipper Smith

Australia legend Ricky Ponting has leapt to the defence of Steve Smith amid criticism of the captain’s tactics on the final day of his team’s nerve-wracking victory over Pakistan in the first Commonwealth Bank Test in Brisbane.

While Australia prevailed by 39 runs after setting Pakistan a world record 490 to win, former Test captains Mark Taylor, Michael Clarke and Michael Vaughan were among those critical of the decision to start with only one slip while other fielders patrolled the boundary.

Pakistan started the fifth day at 8-382, with man of the match Asad Shafiq and Yair Shah at the crease.

The pair took the score to 449 before Australia spearhead Mitchell Starc delivered a searing bouncer which hit the shoulder of Shafiq’s bat and had him caught by David Warner at gully for what was almost a matchwinning 137.

Smith then had the final say when he caught Shah out of his ground with a direct hit, but the decision not to employ attacking fields earlier left some scratching their heads.

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“We are always quick to be critical of people and at the end of the day they’ve won by nearly 40 runs, which is a significant margin really in a Test match,” Ponting said on Melbourne radio station SEN.

“I know it got a lot closer than what Steve Smith would have hoped, and certainly the Australian public would have hoped, but it’s a Test victory.

“Steve Smith will learn from it, guys he probably calls senior players out on the field will learn from it and hopefully might be able to give him some advice going forward.

“So much of the captaincy stuff happens off the field and behind closed doors, where you’re trying to spend as much time with the guys and get to know them little better and find out what makes them tick and what doesn’t. That’s the great challenge for captains.”

Australia led by 287 after the first innings before racing to 5-202 declared in the second dig.

A determined Pakistan, after losing 7-24 under lights on day two, performed bravely to almost snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Ponting, who captained Australia 77 times in Tests for 48 wins, believed Smith would have dictated Australia’s approach in consultation with coach Darren Lehmann.

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“It would have been an open discussion between the captain and coach,” he said.

“The way they started yesterday’s play, I don’t think it would have been one of their ideas – it would have been a combination of both of their thoughts, I would have imagined.

“That’s the way I used to work with the coaches I played under.

“I used to like to include some of the senior players as well, especially once the game started, and get their opinions on the way the game was heading.

“I knew that what I always thought wasn’t going to be right all the time, so I liked to get other people’s ideas and advice.

“I don’t think I ever played with a coach who said, ‘This is the way it has to be,’ because at the end of the day the captain is the one that’s running the ship out on the field.”

The 27-year-old Smith continued his scintillating form at the Gabba, hitting 130 and 63 to back up scores of 164, 72 and 0 during Australia’s ODI series against New Zealand earlier this month.

Smith, who has been in charge for 18 Test matches and led Australia to nine wins, has a remarkable 16 centuries from 48 Tests and boasts an average of 58.49.

He is also the No.1 Test batsman in the world on the ICC Test rankings, ahead of India’s Virat Kohli and England’s Joe Root.

Having lost five Tests and five ODIs in a row less than a month ago, Australia have now claimed five consecutive victories under Smith, which started with their third Test triumph against South Africa in Adelaide last month before the 3-0 ODI whitewash against New Zealand and the win over Pakistan at the Gabba.

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“The thing I love about him is he leads from the front, doesn’t he? Whenever there’s a tough situation with the bat, he’s always the first to put his hand up and get the job done,” Ponting said of Smith.

“That will make the players gravitate more towards him as a captain and a leader as well. That’s the most important thing a lot of the time.

“Since these changes have been made and a few younger faces have come into the side, it does seem…that Smith has said, ‘Right, it’s time to stamp my authority on this team’ and take over lead from the front and hopefully get some results along the way.

“The response they showed to win the Test match in Adelaide against South Africa was exactly what Australian cricket needed at the time.

“From that moment on, things have seemed to go pretty well.”

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