‘Game has taken a battering’

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Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Tuesday said cricket has taken a “battering” with spot-fixing allegations against Pakistan team coming to light.

“No doubt the game has taken a battering as a result of these allegations,” Ponting said.

“It is important that ICC gets to the bottom of these allegations as quickly as possible. If there are players who are involved in anything like that (alleged spot-fixing) then they need to be dealt in an appropriate manner,” he said.

Ponting, however, was not in favour of banning the whole of Pakistan team, saying that will not solve the problem. “We need to have a strong Pakistan team playing international cricket. To keep Pakistan out will have a bigger affect on everything,” he said.

He said Australia and India need to play “best brand of cricket to portray the game in good light amid the crisis the world cricket has been facing,” he said.

“It is important to stand up and have some positive things being said about the game of cricket,” Ponting said.

Australia-India series have traditionally been stormy affairs in the past with on-field controversies grabbing headlines. Ponting said as long as players don’t cross the line, banter only adds zing. “(It’s OK) as long as players play in the right spirit. I think there have been intense moments, but that’s the way international cricket has been. As long as both sides understand what’s right and what’s wrong, things should be fine. And what’s happened in the past will be forgotten,” Ponting said.