Ricky Ponting Apologies For Behaviour But Blame Games Continue

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Sreelata YellamrazuDec 28 2010

Ricky Ponting has taken responsibility for his behaviour on the field on the second day of the fourth Test of the Ashes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. However, he maintains he is in the right, though his behaviour was not.

umpire aleem dar with ricky ponting

The Australian captain apologised straightaway for the fiasco that seemed to brew on the field after Kevin Pietersen was adjudged not out and the Umpire Decision Review System held up the decision of the on field umpire. Ponting was seen in a lengthy argument with umpire Aleem Dar even as Peter Siddle seemed to be supporting the captain as well.

The match referee later handed Ponting a forty per cent of his match fee fine which Ponting accepted after pleading guilty. Ponting then publicly apologised for setting a wrong example on the field by showing his captaincy in a poor light instead of accepting the umpire's verdict. He stated that he understood his responsibility and that the argument was not good in keeping with the image of the game and its ethics.

However, typical of Ponting, he continued to remain defiant that KP had hit the ball but that he stood his ground. He further claimed that Australia would bookmark the incident for future reference on discussions on the use of technology in sport. He even further blamed the replays now seen on grounds across electronic screens, claiming that the screen has asserted his opinion that KP was out.

While the debate on technology has been an ongoing one, the fact that Ponting reacted in the manner he did has completely overshadowed the former issues, leaving the Australian captain to bat for his behaviour.

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