Ponting lauds cool Shane
07 October, 2009
CENTURION: Australia captain Ricky Ponting praised Shane Watson`s coolness after the all-rounder`s century steered the champions to a six-wicket win over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final on Monday. Australia, chasing 201 for victory, had slipped to six for two before Watson proved guided them to victory with 105 not out off 129 balls, following his 136 not out in the semi-final against England. "I think people have started to see the real Shane in the last couple of matches. Now that he`s back to full fitness, he`s showing everybody how good he can be. He bowled terrifically against England and then went out and scored 130-odd, but you can`t get much tougher than tonight`s situation," Ponting told a news conference. The Australian captain said the performance of the younger players in the rarefied atmosphere of a major final had been especially pleasing. "To see youngsters like Shane and Cameron White stand up tonight and get us across the line was very satisfying. I think it`s one of our strengths that when the so-called big names don`t stand up, others get up and do the job. The young guys are starting to make major impacts in world events.î New Zealand were left in disarray when captain Daniel Vettori was ruled out of the final by a hamstring injury. McCullum said the Kiwis believed they could still win the match when they claimed the two early Australian wickets, including that of Ponting for a single, and restricted them to 37 for two after 16 overs. New Zealand also suffered a crucial fielding hiccup in the 18th over when McCullum dropped a skied pull by White off Ian Butler. End.
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