Ponting: Stick with Hughes, Warner

Australia

Former Australia batsman Ricky Ponting has appealed to the selectors to stick with Phil Hughes and David Warner for the Ashes, and to also keep faith in one set of players for as long as possible.

Former Australia batsman Ricky Ponting has appealed to the selectors to stick with Phil Hughes and David Warner for the Ashes, and to also keep faith in one set of players for as long as possible.

England won the Ashes earlier this year three-nil, and now the return leg Down Under could see a number of changes to the batting line up. But Ponting has urged the selectors to stick with struggling Hughes and troubled Warner.

Hughes played in two of those Tests, making 81, 0, 1 and 1, while Warner played in three Tests and made one half century. Punter is a big fan of Hughes though, and feels he was the potential to do well on home soil.

Ponting told the <i>Australian Associated Press</i>: "He is clearly our best young batsman in the country. The guy knows how to bat. He knows how to score runs. And he's just the sort of character that you love to have around your team.

"He would be somebody that I would give a spot in the order and let him go about making that his own. If you give him a bit of love and a bit of stability around his game, I'm sure he'll come good.

"I'd like to see the selectors pick who they believe their best six batsmen are for the first Test and then actually stick when them for the whole series.

"Give them a bit of confidence and a bit of security, knowing that they're not playing for their spot each time they walk out on to the field.

"And then, at the end of the five (Ashes) Tests, if some of the batsmen haven't done it, then it probably is time to move on and look for someone else."

The former skipper also spoke of Warner's predicaments in recent months, from trying to punch Joe Root to getting into trouble on Twitter, saying the blonde batsman hadn't dealt well with the pressures of constant cricket.

Punter said of Warner's antics: "To me, some of the things that have happened have just been almost tell-tale signs of someone just under extreme pressure.

"The thing about Davey, he hasn't had a break from any cricket for about two years and it's such a high-pressurized environment, you need to be able to get away and let a bit of steam off here and there.

"Whenever he has tried to do that, he has got himself in a little bit of trouble. He would have learnt from that and it will make him a better person and hopefully a better cricketer."

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