Ponting knows that surviving against the South African pace attack will be easier said than done

Veteran Australian batsman Ricky Ponting has admitted that the toughest challenge he will endure during the upcoming three-Test series against South Africa would be to outlast their all-star pace attack, which include the likes of Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

News.com.au quoted Ponting as saying: “Well they had my number over there last time. My technique wasn’t where it wanted to be when I was in South Africa last time and because they are so good they did expose those little flaws. I’ve had 18 months to rectify things and I’m certainly in a better place than I was at the start of that series in South Africa last year.”

Ponting also knows that he has to be prepared for anything and everything the South Africans throw at him, and he hopes that this is where his experience and expertise in the game will come in handy.

“The thing about international cricket these days is you’ve got to keep reinventing yourself because there’s nowhere to hide with all the technology we’ve got these days. Every innings you play can be scrutinised by the opposition, they would have done their homework on all of us so it’s important we all prepare well,” Ponting added.