Ashes 2023, Lord's Test: Australian great Ponting offers technical advice to Labuschagne, Head
Australia won the opening Ashes 2023 Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham by two wickets in what was the first match of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle.
FollowAhead of the second Ashes 2023 Test, which begins on Wednesday at the iconic Lord's, former captain Ricky Ponting gave technical advise to Australia hitters Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head on how to deal with England's bowling attack. Australia defeated England by two wickets in the first Test of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle, which was played at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
A few of the individual performances were outstanding, but Labuschagne and Head struggled in the Ashes opening.
Ponting has provided Labuschagne, a 28-year-old right-hander, one-on-one time in order to help him get back to the basics and achieve success.
"I'll wait for them to come and ask me. It's not my place, I'm not one of the coaches, I'm just a past player that's sitting back and analysing what a lot of these guys are doing," Ponting said in the ICC Review.
"But I would like to catch up with him (Labuschagne) and have a chat about his batting, because I think what I've seen over the last couple of weeks, as far as I'm concerned, I think he's over complicating things a little bit," the Australian great added.
"I think he has to trust and believe in what's made him the No.2-ranked Test batsman for the last couple of years and go back to trusting that. I would actually tell him to watch some video of when he's actually played his best, and remember those things and do that all over again," Ponting said.
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Ponting agrees with Head that a strategy is necessary to get through the England bowlers' early burst of bouncy attacks.
"Firstly, he's now going to be aware that it's going to happen. He's going to expect that," said the legendary batter.
"I think he has to work at it in his own mind. What's the best way for him to combat that type of bowling? Is it going to be to take it on? Is he going to have success if he tries to hook and pull balls that are into his body? Does he find a way to be able to duck and weave and get out of the way a bit better and try and wear bowlers down?" he added.
Ponting predicts that if England chooses to field Mark Wood in the second Test, his pace will pose the biggest threat to Head.
"Stuart Broad was probably their quickest bowler last week. Ben Stokes has been the enforcer for England in the past doing that, but his body is not going to allow him to do that role for England either. Coming into Lord's, it could be Mark Wood. They might bring Wood into the team, which offers something a bit different. Hes obviously a lot quicker and bowls a really good short ball," he said.
"He (Head) has to be aware of it, and if there is only the one bowler in the team that he thinks can do it, then find a way to get through that one spell." Ponting added.
