Thaindian News

Melbourne, Jan 14 (ANI): Skipper Ricky Ponring, who is going through one of the worst phases of his Test career, has been urged by former England captain Mike Gatting to honestly assess his form to ensure that he retires on his own terms.

Gatting said Ponting needed a serious self-evaluation to successfully manage his exit from Australian cricket.

Ponting’s uncharacteristic form slump has not been aided by an elbow injury that he sustained while batting against Windies fast bowler Kemar Roach in Perth, The Courier Mail reports.

Gatting said the Tasmanian should not simply “hang on” and needed to eventually face his cricketing mortality.

“To do what Ricky has done over so many years has been simply outstanding but unfortunately there will come a time when you get older and you can’t get runs and you have a bad trot,” said Gatting, the last English captain to win the Ashes on Australian soil.

“The game can creep up on you. You can go 12 months too long, but I’m sure Ricky wouldn’t want to go one Test too many or one series too many because I don’t think it’s his way to do things. If you are proud of what you are doing, you don’t try and hang on.

“Everybody knows in their own mind when it is time to retire. If you are honest with yourself, you do it. I don’t know what Ricky’s body is like and what his mindset is but he won’t want to let himself down and go out with a slump,” Gatting said.

Statistics show Ponting is Australia’s worst performed batsman for the past 12 months. He is averaging 36 in Test cricket since January last year, behind the out-of-form Marcus North. (ANI)