AUSTRALIAN coach Tim Nielsen has challenged Ricky Ponting to arrest his form slump with a trademark one-day innings. Nielsen's call comes as statistics show Australia is much harder to overcome when Ponting fires, with the side having won 24 of 29 one-day matches when the champion No.3 hits a century.
Australia's record 12-year grip on the World Cup will end if it loses to India in their quarter-final at the 50,000-capacity Sardar Patel Stadium on Thursday.
Ponting desperately needs a big score to counter the rampant Sachin Tendulkar and has gone more than a year without an international century. India has not faced Australia at the World Cup since the 2003 final, when Ponting hammered a majestic 140 not out from 121 balls in what is widely regarded as his greatest one-day innings.
"It would be nice for Ricky to get a good score," Nielsen said last night.
"It's important for us that one of our top three or four get a big score.
"It would be nice for Shane (Watson), Brad Haddin, Ricky or Michael Clarke (to score runs). We do put a lot of emphasis on our top four.
"The adrenalin will certainly be flowing and playing in front of their home crowd in Ahmedabad will be exciting and a challenge for us.
"It's what World Cups are about, it's the right time to play India. We've got no fear."
Ponting has had a poor World Cup, scoring 102 runs from five innings at 20.40.
Tendulkar, conversely, is flying. At 37, he has 326 runs in six matches at an average of 54.33 and, remarkably, will celebrate his 100th international century if he can reach three figures on Thursday.
At 36, Ponting appears to be in decline but his importance to Australia cannot be understated.
On the 29 occasions Ponting has posted triple figures, Australia has lost just five times, dating back to 1996.
"Hopefully that big score will come for me," said Ponting, who made 19 against Pakistan on Saturday.
"Its been a few games now and I certainly haven't scored the runs I would have liked to have scored in the World Cup so far, but the big games are coming up and hopefully I get some in the quarter-final.
"I felt good again (against Pakistan). I'm just getting out, it's as simple as that.
"It's just the way things are happening for me at the moment. I'm trying as hard as ever and I feel like I'm seeing the ball as good as ever."
