Today's Top StoriesIndian Sydney-Oct-24-IANS-The-spat-between-Ricky-Ponting-and-Brett-Lee-might-have-been-in-bad-taste-but-the News

 

Sydney, Oct 24 IANS The spat between Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee might have been in bad taste, but the present Australian team looks the most jointed in more than a decade due to the absence of Shane Warne.

SPO6 Sports Warne's absence is a boon for Oz dressing room Sydney, Oct 24 IANS The spat between Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee might have been in bad taste, but the present Australian team looks the most jointed in more than a decade due to the absence of Shane Warne. If such a row would have happened involving Warne during the spin wizard's playing days then the long knives would have been out by now, a report in The Australian said. Ponting and Lee had a disagreement during the Mohali Test, shortly before lunch Monday. Lee wanted to know why he was not allowed to ball even when others were given a second spell. The Australian captain gave Lee an animated response, which clearly offended the bowling spearhead. But the issue was sorted out soon after lunch as Lee came out to bowl. Ponting is straight-forward and has a tremendous work ethic and that's why he was able to sort out the issue with Lee unlike Warne, who used to take them into the dressing room and on to the field. When Taylor struggled for form during the 1996-97 summer, Warne was the first to begin muttering "How's Tubby's form" There was almost a mutiny during the South African tour that followed when Ian Healy and Steve Waugh lined up for the one-day captaincy as Taylor's form slump continued. And Warne, miffed at missing out on the captaincy when Taylor retired, made no attempt to hide his disdain for Waugh during the difficult early stages of the 1999 World Cup. Waugh had dropped Warne in the West Indies earlier that year because he had not fully recovered from a shoulder operation, and Warne never forgave him. "How's Tugga going," Warne would repeat on the field as Australia struggled at the start of the 1999 World Cup. --Indo-Asian News Service abr/av/dg 326 Words 24101445