Ponting demands discipline, not spectacle

An admirer of New Zealand's inherent discipline, Australia captain Ricky Ponting has advised his teammates against playing to the gallery when they take on the Kiwis in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy .
Ricky PontingPonting said New Zealand would put their best foot forward and Australia should try to match their commitment while refraining from trying anything spectacular. Online Sports
"They play to their strengths and they do it very well. They're a very disciplined side and have been for a number of years. They'll always try and give their 100 percent," Ponting said on the eve of the final.
"We have to match them in that department and let our skills take over everything else. We just have to put up a performance and not try too hard for anything spectacular," he added.
Under Ponting, the defending champions have not put a foot wrong in the tournament so far, winning against the West Indies and Pakistan in group matches and beating England in the semi-final. Sports News
Ponting said the team needed to maintain the momentum.
"We've done everything that we've needed to so far. We're happy with the way we've played our one-day cricket over the last three or four weeks," Ponting said.
"It's been a long time on the road. We've played a lot of very good cricket. If we happen to play well and win the tournament, we'll look back on the last five months as being a really good period in Australian cricket," Ponting said.
His opposite number Daniel Vettori said lot would depend on how his bowlers fare against Australia's in-form top order.
"Their top order has been outstanding. They play so well. If we can keep pressure, that will give us a chance," Vettori said.
Injuries to players like Jesse Ryder ,Jacob Oram and Daryl Tuffey have weakened the Kiwis but Vettori seemed to have enough trust in his teammates who have helped the team reach the final.
"I can't let injuries worry me because it's nothing I can control. The reason we have come so far is that we've had team performances," he said.
"A number of guys have stepped up and allowed us to win. We may not have had too many stars in the tournament, but if you look at every game we've had six-seven guys step up and really perform,"Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.