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| Ponting confident after Australia win • Captain praises 'break-out' display by Nathan Hauritz• Ponting now most successful skipper in Test historyRicky Ponting described Australia's 170-run first-Test win over Pakistan in Melbourne as "one of our best Test wins in quite a while" and challenged his side tobe a dominant force in world cricket.Pakistan were all out for 251 in their second innings at the MCG. The spinner Nathan Hauritz took five for 101; Mohammad Yousuf top-scored for the tourists with 61.Ponting passed Australia's Steve Waugh as the most successful captain in Test history with a 42nd victory in his 65th match in charge and set another record as the player with more Test wins, 93, than any other."It's been a great game for us," Ponting said. "It's one of our best Test wins in quite a while I think, starting right from the start of the game with the [Simon] Katich and [Shane] Watson partnership which really set the platform for a very good Test match for us."Hauritz took his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket . "What players like him need is just that break-out performance," Ponting said. "Unless you've actually got over the line and done it when it really matters, you always have doubts about yourself and whether you can do it."Today could be one of the really big turning points in Nathan's career. It will give him a lot of confidence, a lot of self-belief, which for younger players striving to find their feet at international level is what you're striving for."The pace bowler Mitchell Johnson struck first for Australia, with two wickets in two deliveries in the first over."The way we bowled in the first innings in particular was just outstanding," said Ponting. "The way we used the new ball and were able to maintain our discipline and execute our skills over such a long period of time was a real factor in the game. In the past couple of years with our Test cricket we haven't done a lot wrong, we haven't won everything that we've played in but we've been ultra competitive against every team in every condition that we've been in."We haven't been as dominant, but we are building a squad of players right at the moment that, in a couple of years' time, are going to be a very dominant team again."Ponting said he was unaware of either of his records but was proud to have achieved the feats in his favourite Test of the year. "They're things I'll probably be most of proud of when I'm done. We all play to win games of cricket and be involved in a team that is winning games of cricket," he said. "Hopefully there are a lot more wins around the corner and if we play the cricket that we've played over this five days then we will definitely win a lot more games."The way we're playing at the moment, the way we're going about it, indicates to me that we're playing well, we've got a great squad of players together and the future is very bright for us."Australia's selectors have stuck with the same squad for the second Test, which starts in Sydney on Sunday.Australia Cricket TeamPakistan cricket teamRicky PontingCricketguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
University of Phoenix gets exposure from Cards, Cowboys playoff games, Fiesta Bowl The University of Phoenix is getting plenty of mentions and notices this week with the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League playoffs this weekend and from tonight’s Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale. bizjournals.com |
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In 25th year, Bisons awarded all-star game The Buffalo Bisons have been named as the host the 25th Annual Triple-A All-Star Game at Coca-Cola Field during the 2012 season. feeds.bizjournals.com |