Ponting backs pacer Tait

Australian captain Ricky Ponting wants in-form fast bowler Shaun Tait in his team to fight India in their first cricket Test later this month...

Australian captain Ricky Ponting wants in-form fast bowler Shaun Tait in his team to fight India in their first cricket Test later this month despite the pacer’s bowling action being questioned by New Zealand team.

Ponting today urged the national selectors to consider Tait, who claimed a five-wicket haul in the Twenty20 match against New Zealand at Perth on Tuesday, saying he was capable of taking wickets in any format of the game.

“He might be one of those guys that when he is fit and firing like he is we have to play him because it probably doesn’t last forever,” Ponting said before the Chappell-Hadlee opener against New Zealand. “Whatever form of the game he plays, he’s good enough to knock batsmen over at any time. It doesn’t just apply to one-day cricket. If his fitness is good and he can back up and bowl a number of spells… he could easily slot into our Test team as well,” Ponting was quoted as saying by The Age.

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Tait’s bowling action has been suspected by the Kiwis with captain Daniel Vettori saying that “people are going to speculate” about the legality of his deliveries.

But match referee Roshan Mahanama said the matter never came up for discussion among the officials.

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