Ricky Ponting believes a lack of proven late-innings hitters in Australia’s T20 line-up looms as the most likely impediment to the men’s team lifting the one piece of global cricket silverware that remains absent from their trophy cabinet.
Australia have won just four of their 15 T20 international matches this year and they depart for the showpiece ICC tournament in the UAE and Oman later this month still smarting from 1-4 series defeats at the hands of West Indies and Bangladesh.
While a raft of first-choice players including batters David Warner and Steve Smith, allrounders Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis and fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Kane Richardson were absent from those tours, Ponting fears their imminent return won’t immediately address the shortcoming.
He said the fact Australia’s specialist batters largely fill the top three berths with their respective KFC BBL clubs…
