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11.11.08

Herald Sun - Not the attacking Ricky

Published by Shane Warne

I feel for Punter as he has been copping it from all angles and all because he went away from what he does best- attack. But one of Rick’s strengths as a person is to admit when he has made a mistake and I’m sure on the way home he relived every moment of the final Test and every decision he made throughout. His tactics surprised me- and everyone else-because he is naturally an attacker.

The reason he is under pressure is that it looked like he put himself in front of the team, and that just isn’t Punter. Having played with him for a long time, he was one of the guys that put the team first- always. If it meant throwing his wicket away in the chase for quick runs, he would do that. And there have been previous captains who would not do that. I just think he got it wrong this time and I’m sure he will be a better captain for the experience. Let’s not hang him. Let’s encourage and support him.

I think New Zealand is going to feel the wrath of the Australian team and, in particular, the skipper come next week. Hopefully Ricky understands where everyone’s criticism is coming from, takes it on board and does not wipe people. I’m sure if he thinks it through, he could do worse than ask Ian Chappell or Allan Border out for dinner and chat about it. He might just pick up something. Ian Chappell was the biggest influence on my cricketing career and I learnt a lot about captaincy, tactics and the game off him. Border taught me what it meant to play for Australia and showed me what toughness was. He was brilliant and he never gave up.

Captaincy is about getting the best out of your players and understanding what makes them tick-when to give them a rocket and when to throw an arm around them and make them feel important. This comes from understanding your player and which strategy to use. Mark Taylor was an expert at this and was the best captain I played under.He was a great tactician, too. As a captain, it’s not always easy to come to the right decision and get it right all the time, but it’s about having a plan and being ahead of the game. 

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