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Punter backs North, Siddle to the hilt

Roar Guru
13th January, 2010
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Ricky Ponting has done his best to quell the growing pressure on struggling duo Marcus North and Peter Siddle as Australia eye a record-equalling 12th straight defeat of Pakistan.

Ponting backed both middle-order batsman North and bustling paceman Siddle to the hilt as they attempt to overturn lean summers in the third Test, starting on Thursday at Bellerive Oval.

A 12th consecutive win, dating back 10 years against Pakistan, will equal Sri Lanka’s record of a dozen straight victories over a single opponent, in their case Bangladesh.

But, while the match is a dead rubber with Australia holding a 2-0 series lead, there is more at stake than just setting a record Test streak over the tourists.

With a tour of New Zealand looming in March, the starting places of North and Siddle would be vulnerable with more failures in Hobart.

Ben Hilfenhaus, Australia’s best bowler in the Ashes series defeat and man of the match in the first Test of the summer in Brisbane, would deserve to return at Siddle’s expense if he overcomes a knee injury.

But North, 30, is under as much scrutiny after scoring 186 runs at 23.25 in five Tests this season.

Ponting, also desperate to turn around a rare dry spell, spoke at length with North at the SCG as Mike Hussey inspired Australia’s amazing escape act in the second Test.

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“I think we’re both feeling the same about the game at the moment, it sort of feels like the game’s got hold of us both and won’t let us go,” he said.

“Talking to him about it, it sort of feels like every little mistake we’ve made tended to mean that we’re out and to sit back and see some other batsmen make mistakes (and get away with them), it can be a bit frustrating.”

Ponting has urged the West Australian left-hander to back his game and not look at the third Test as a make-or-break occasion.

“I know having been there a few times before myself it’s hard not to think that way sometimes,” he said.

“You’re better off not thinking about that and trusting yourself.

“It was not that long ago that he was the stand-out batsman in our line-up.

“He was our best player right through the Ashes series (367 at 52) and started the summer well in Brisbane.”

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A heartening statistic for North is the fact Australian left-handers average a phenomenal 84 from all Bellerive Oval Tests.

While Siddle has just six wickets at 68 in his past five Tests, Ponting felt he complemented left-armers Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger beautifully and his consistency played a major role in dismissals at the other end.

“I’m not that worried about that wicket column next to his name, because what he’s doing at the moment is forming part of a really good bowling attack,” the skipper said.

“That’s what I’ve stressed with the selectors over the last couple of years, that we pick an attack and not just look at the next best bowler.

“Bowling, like batting in our team, is about bowling together in partnerships and he’s formed good partnerships for us.”

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