Australia batting Coach Ricky Ponting has said the top-order must deliver “big runs” after the world champions went 1-0 down in ODI Series against England. The 2019 World Cup hosts beat Australia by three wickets in the first of a five-match campaign at The Oval on Wednesday.
“It highlighted again the importance of our top-order batsman taking responsibility and getting some big runs” he said.
“We lost an early wicket but I thought Marsh and Finch’s partnership looked really promising. But both of them getting out in successive overs to Moeen Ali, and all of a sudden we are behind the eight ball,” explained Ponting.
“It’s just little moments like that were someone just has to put their hand up and say ‘Right, I am going to be the man that’s going to get through here and do what my team needs me to do’ and it didn’t happen,” he added ahead of the second ODI in Cardiff on Saturday.
