Ponting 'staggered' by England call to shun legends

Ricky Ponting has revealed his shock at England’s decision to leave both Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson out for the Vodafone Ashes opener, suggesting Joe Root may have even been emboldened to bowl first had at least one of them been picked.

For the first time in 15 years England went into an Ashes Test without either of Broad or Anderson inked onto their team sheet as the visitors failed to capitalise on Root's decision to bat on the opening day.

They were bowled out for 147 in conditions Ponting said would have been ideal for the legendary fast bowling duo who have taken 1,156 Test wickets between them.

England have insisted reports of the 39-year-old Anderson carrying a calf niggle were inaccurate and that was he was available for selection, while Broad, 35, was the sole omission from the XII they named on the eve of the first Test.

Seam bowlers Ollie Robinson and Chris Woakes were preferred alongside tearaway Mark Wood, spinner Jack Leach and allrounder Ben Stokes. 

"We all nearly fell off our stools this morning when we heard that Broad was out as well (as Anderson)," Ponting told cricket.com.au after rain meant England's bowlers would have to wait until Thursday for a chance to test out Australia's top order.

"They are lucky – they have got a really good seam attack because that's the conditions that they're brought up in.

"Woakes is a very good bowler, Robinson, from what I saw against India in conditions that favoured batters, is a very good bowler, and Mark Wood's the X-factor that'll give them a bit of extra pace.

"Maybe the option was to leave the spinner out and keep Broad in – that probably would sit better for me than not having brought Broad or Anderson into the XI."

Both Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc expressed their surprise at the pair’s non-selection, while Ollie Pope shared the England camp’s thinking that Wood’s pace, Robinson’s strong debut home summer and Woakes’ batting had won them their spots.

Broad has thrived on playing the role of pantomime villain in Brisbane, boasting strong returns at the Gabba with 12 wickets at 24.58 in three Tests there, including a six-wicket haul in the 2013-14 Ashes series opener.

Anderson has had less success there and the venue is his one of his least successful in Test cricket having taken just seven wickets in four Tests at an average of 75.14.

But Ponting insists the seaming day one Gabba pitch, on which only one of England's top five reached double digits as they were dismantled in just 50.1 overs, was perfectly suited to Anderson.

"If Anderson and Broad were both in that team with Robinson or with Woakes, there's three guys that would have just eaten up those conditions," said the former Australia captain. "They would have been hard work to face there.

"So if they had named those guys in the XI, potentially their decision to bat first might have been different.

"They might have decided to bowl and give those guys the absolute (best) conditions that they want.

"(Anderson) has got seven wickets in four games at the Gabba so that might be another reason they left him out as well.

"But today for me just seemed like it was different conditions than he would have ever bowled in before in Brisbane.

"I'm staggered that both of them aren't playing, or at least one of them."

Anderson appears certain to appear in the pink-ball second Test in Adelaide and with Cricket Australia understood to be leaning towards playing the fifth Test under lights as well, England's all-time leading wicket taker will have a major role in this series.

The right-armer was England's best bowler in the corresponding day-night Adelaide Oval encounter four years ago, snaring 5-43 in Australia's second innings to keep his side in a contest they eventually lost by a margin of 120 runs.

And Ponting believes Broad must join him for this series' second match.

"Two (England bowlers) are probably going to have to go out for Adelaide, regardless of whether they have a good game (at the Gabba) because you would think that Broad and Anderson are going to come back," said Ponting.

"If it's been all about management from now to make sure they're at their absolute best for Adelaide, then two of the three (quicks) that have played this game have got to go.

"So it might not even matter if Woakes (or the other quicks have) a great game, they might be making way for one of the legends next week."

Ponting on Starc's superb series opener: HCL Technical Talk

"It probably wasn't the way that he planned it out. But the thing that I loved about it was that it was fast, it was full and it did swing. Burns made a mistake but well done to Starcy and the Gabba just went beserk.

"I love what he brings to the table because he's of the overall package of what he has – tall, left-arm, fast and swings the ball.

"But if he's not swinging the ball then I don't think he is anywhere near as effective. It's fantastic for Starcy, it's just what he need at the start of the summer, a little bit of confidence.

"He's copped it a bit the last few months from different parts of the media about whether he should be in the side.

"The few days leading up to this Test match were going to be really important to Mitchell Starc. If he could prove to the coaches and the players and the captain that he is bowling fast and he can swing it, then he is just picked, simple as that."