Ponting to be prudent with pull shot

For 13 years, Ricky Ponting’s pull shot has been the most destructive stroke in world cricket. Like a Tiger Woods’ drive or Shane Warne’s leg break, it is a perfect marriage of technique and talent, resulting in untold misery for bowlers across the globe.

Time after time the pattern has repeated.

A paceman drags it down, Ponting rocks back and swivels, and a four or six is accompanied by that old commentator’s chestnut: “you can’t bowl short to Ricky Ponting”.

The cricket world has become so used to these facts that the development of a few kinks in the shot this summer has rather crept up on everyone.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori had no hesitation labelling his opposite number the most adept puller of a cricket ball in the world and seemed genuinely surprised to be asked about a possible blind spot in Ponting’s armoury.

Yet Tuesday night’s ugly, premeditated swing at Tim Southee was the fifth time in the Australian season that Ponting has perished to variations of the shot and the captain admits he may have slipped into some bad habits.

“It’s pretty easy to identify what’s going on,” he said.

“You don’t top edge them if you play the ball on its merits.

“(Tuesday) was almost a cross-batted slog more than anything else.

“I got out pulling in Perth, got out pulling in Sydney the other night so yeah maybe I have to do a bit more work on that.

“Over the years it has been a good shot to me and it’s just a matter of playing it at the appropriate time to the appropriate ball and I haven’t been doing that.”

Premeditation has been a problem, but so too has pride.

Batsmen and spectators alike love the sight and sound of striking a flat shot to the boundary at eye level despite the inherent risk in skimming the ball through low at catchable height.

“The one in Sydney the other night I got undone trying to hit the ball flat, rather than trying to hit it over the top, so I tried to hit down on it when I should’ve just hit it up,” Ponting said.

“They’re the things you have to take into account when you’re playing cross batted shots, whether you hit them up or down and I made a couple of mistakes in the last couple of days doing that.”