Ponting: Not good enough

Last updated: 4th June 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Ponting: Not good enough

Ponting: Disappointed

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Australia captain Ricky Ponting has claimed his side was "not good enough" to finish off the West Indies on the final day of the second Test.

The Windies dug in to bat out the day to clinch a draw in Antigua - with Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul leading the resistance.

Sarwan hit 128, while Chanderpaul remained unbeaten on 77 as the hosts lost just five wickets to frustrate Australia.

And despite trying seven bowlers, Ponting was forced to concede that his attack did not perform.

"I made all those bowling changes just trying to get the partnership broken and then we could have brought the quicks back and exposed their new batsmen to the reverse swing but we just couldn't get that breakthrough we needed," he said.

Toiled

"Chanderpaul and Sarwan played very well today, I thought. Our bowlers toiled manfully all day but we just weren't good enough.

"We didn't bowl well enough today when it really mattered to win a Test."

Although Brett Lee and Stuart Clark have both picked up five-wicket in the series so far, retiring spinner Stuart MacGill and seamer Mitchell Johnson have both struggled.

And with no Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne to fall back on, the Australian attack does not look as dangerous as it once was - however Ponting has called on his side to stand up and be counted.

"It certainly is a challenge, when you haven't got some of the other guys who have been around," said Ponting.

"It is a great challenge for me but more importantly it's a challenge for the bowlers to stand up and make a name for themselves as being very good Test bowlers."