Australian cricket team skipper Ricky Ponting has emerged as the worst behaved player to play for the country in the last 20 years and has been asked by the former legends of the game to improve his on-field attitude. Former skipper Mark Taylor has asked Ponting to improve his attitude after the public lashed the Australian side for their behavior in the first Test against the West Indies. A list of official International Cricket Council (ICC) breaches obtained by The Sunday Telegraph placed Ponting among world cricket’s serial offenders.
Ponting has presided over more team offenses during his captaincy than predecessors Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor. Ponting has been forced to pay more than $25,000 in fines since the behavioral measures were introduced in 1992. Of his six breaches, four related to umpire dissent. Under Ponting’s leadership, Australia has totaled 18 separate Code-of-Conduct breaches – double the number of incidents during Taylor’s reign between 1992-1999.
Ponting’s disciplinary record should spark alarm at Cricket Australia, which privately addressed players on their responsibilities to the game before this year’s Ashes series in June. One of the recent antics included Shane Watson’s churlish send-off to West Indies skipper Chris Gayle and a tense confrontation between Sulieman Benn and Australian duo Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson. “I just think the Australians could be a bit more pro-active in trying to nip these things in the bud, rather than let things escalate,” Taylor said.