Ricky Ponting wants first ball of Adelaide Test to be a bouncer

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting has claimed that the Australian team, who are still grieving over the loss of teammate Phillip Hughes’s untimely and tragic death, will be facing their biggest mental conflict of their careers next week. The Michael Clarke-led are scheduled to face India in the first match of the four-Test series in Adelaide less than a week after their former teammate’s funeral.

Biggest mental battle for players

The former Australian captain said that going into a cricket match, the passing of Hughes would be greater than any of the personal tragedies incurred by cricketers.

Ponting, writing in The Australian, said: "None of the things that have happened before compare to what the players are dealing with after Phillip's death. We are in uncharted waters and the boys are going to have to dig deeper than they ever have.

"This will be the biggest mental battle any of them will have encountered, but I have faith they can pull it off. In a perfect world, I want to see the team come together and go out there as one, but I understand that some might find it impossible. For cricket's sake, I hope that they can all do it."

The 39-year-old, who bid farewell to international cricket in 2012 after playing 168 Test matches, also spoke about continuing to play cricket with sadness after deaths in his own family and mentioned that playing cricket at the highest level meant to do “a job that has to be done no matter what’s going on in your life”.

"Like everyone in the community, cricketers have to show up at work and suck it up when things are rough. Your wife or kids can be sick, there might be trouble at home, but too often this can happen when you are on the road and there's not even the chance to drop in at the end of the day and sort out the mess," he added.

Bouncer to set things going

Hughes passed away after a short-pitched delivery struck him and caused a severe head injury, which has opened up a debate on whether bouncers should be part of cricket or not. The debate led former Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes to state that bowlers should start the Adelaide Test by bowling a short ball, on which Pointing agreed.

"I would love to see a bouncer bowled as the first ball in Adelaide on Tuesday," Ponting said.

"It would clear the air, announce that the game is on, and if that's done I think it might have a healing effect on everybody. Or at least start the healing."