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Ricky Ponting believes that England could be at the start of a decline from top spot, and many cricket betting fans wonder if he’s right.
Cricket fans saw that last summer, England was able to claim the top Test ranking during their 4-0 whitewash of India with very good cricket scores, but since then they have lost in the United Arab Emirates 3-0 to Pakistan before losing the current series’ opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Ponting was leading the dominant Australia team that for over a decade was at the top of the Test rankings with great cricket scores, and the 37-year-old player was happy to remind England how hard it is to stay at the summit.
“It’s really hard to stay up and dominate international cricket as long as we did a few years ago,” he said.
“When you’re up the top and you’ve got everyone trying to chase you, it’s hard to maintain that.”
Cricket fans know that if they are not able to win this week in Colombo against Sri Lanka, Andrew Strauss’ side will end up losing to their number one status to South Africa.
And they could slip behind Australia – which after their Ashes victory 18 months ago is an almost unthinkable concept – if Michael Clarke’s side also whitewash this month West Indies 3-0, and cricket betting fans are very eager to see what will happen.
It’s a scenario that has not been lost on Ponting, who last week arrived in the Caribbean before the first Test in Barbados taking place April 7.
“It goes to show we’re on the right track to turning our cricket around and probably goes to show that England might have been at the start of the end of their cycle,” Ponting told reporters in Bridgetown.
“England have got a taste of it up there for a little bit and have started to struggle a bit in their last couple of series.” |