Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has said that the "lack of knowhow" and "skill" were the mains reasons behind the team's dismal show in the recently concluded five-match T20 International series against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh won the series 4-1, with Australia dishing out one of the worst performances in recent history as they tune up for the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman.
"The lack of knowhow and skill in those conditions (Bangladesh) brought us undone again," Ponting told Australian Test skipper Tim Paine during the SEN radio show on Saturday.
It's been the Achilles heel for Australian cricket for as long as I can remember -- more so in Test cricket, but we've always found a way to be very competitive in Sri Lanka and India in white-ball cricket. Just goes to show the depth around Australia cricket is not where it needs to be so there's some work to do there.Ricky Ponting
Ponting, who is also Indian Premier League (IPL) side Delhi Capitals' head coach, added that not everything was lost for Australia yet and hoped that a fully-fit team would compete in the ICC T20 World Cup in October-November after several key players, including Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, and David Warner among other, had pulled out of the their national team's limited-overs tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh in June owing to injuries and bubble fatigue.
"The T20 World Cup is not far away so hopefully we get all the boys fit and healthy, because I still think with everyone fit and healthy in the UAE that Australian team can push really hard to win the title. Let's keep our fingers crossed we can put our strongest XI on the field."
Aussie cricketers should play in rescheduled IPL: Ponting
Ponting said the rescheduled Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE in September-October can help his country's cricketers prepare better for the ICC T20 World Cup later this year.
Ponting felt it was important for Australian cricketers to "get back into the groove" ahead of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes series.
"Those guys that haven't played for three or four months now, they need to get back into the groove of playing high-quality cricket against the best players in the world," Ponting said.
"No doubt it's their best preparation to be in those exact conditions, playing in probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world. All the best players in the world will be there … and I'm not just saying it because I want some of the Australian players there at the Delhi Capitals," explained Ponting.
Steve Smith has had to miss the West Indies and Bangladesh tours with a left elbow injury, and has been quoted as saying that he would want to prioritise the Ashes over the ICC T20 World Cup.
(With IANS Inputs)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)