Ponting keen to regain trophy

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes that his side will face a tough test if it is to regain the ICC Champions Trophy. “Competition is always tough in this tournament and we are expecting a great challenge again in Pakistan during September,” said Ponting Ponting, whose side defeated West Indies to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2006, believes that the event is an important one on the calendar for his side. “The Champions Trophy is the number two one-day tournament on the calendar behind the ICC Cricket World Cup and it is for this reason that our players ensure they are at peak form to take on the world’s best in this format of the game” he said. The make-up of the side will be very different to the 2006 event, with legendary fast bowler, Glenn McGrath, and wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist now retired from international cricket. But Ponting is looking forward to exposing a younger generation of players to the challenges of an ICC event. “We are particularly focused on again performing well this year in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and I am excited by the prospect of some new Australian players having the opportunity to be tested against the world’s best 50-over players,” said Ponting.