Cam Green should just keep things simple in Tests: Ponting on under-performing all-rounder
Melbourne (PTI): The legendry Ricky Pointing has advised tall Australian all-rounder Cameron Green to keep things simple and not over analyse or tinker with his game in order to find the right approach in Tests.
Green, who recently became the costliest overseas buy in IPL history at the mini auction after being purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders for a Rs 25.20 crore, has had an underwhelming Ashes series against England.
While Australia have already clinched the Ashes after winning the first three Tests, Green has scored just 76 runs and picked up two wickets.
ALSO READ: 23-year-old man dies after being attacked by six people in UP's Amethi
"Apparently, he's a very deep thinker about his own game and likes to tinker with things a lot," former Australia captain Ponting said on the ICC Review.
"But if I had some advice for him, it'd be just keep things as simple as you can, think about what you've done at domestic cricket and take your domestic game to the Test match and back it in for a while," he added.
Green, who made his debut against India five years back in Adelaide, has so far played 35 Tests with the pace-bowling all-rounder taking 37 wickets and chipping in with 1,641 runs at an average of around 33.
With numbers not quite adding up, Ponting believes the 26-year-old Green's contribution is hard to measure at this stage of his career.
"It's actually quite hard to get a gauge on him yet as an international player. He averages under 30 in Australia now. His career averages just over 30.
"He's made two Test match hundreds in 30-odd Test matches. He's had back surgery, and his bowling pace is probably not quite what it was 12 months ago," opined Ponting.
However, the legend sounded quite optimistic about Green, saying the all-rounder's skills do underline his potential in the Baggy Green.
"But there is a very complete package there if it all comes together. And we've seen him play some pretty remarkable innings.
"He made an incredible 100 in New Zealand last year. He's got 100 in India as well, albeit on a very, very flat pitch."
Green scored his maiden Test century in Ahmedabad, scoring 114 after coming in at a tricky situation, while his best effort followed a year later in March 2024, when he hammered an unbeaten 174 in Wellington to guide Australia to a 172-run win.
"Talking to the players, talking to the coaching staff, they absolutely love what he brings to the group, said Ponting.
"The biggest challenge he has is, he's just got to find out the right way and right style for him to play, work out what's going to work for him, and then commit to that and stick to it for a long period of time."
Ponting, however, said that Australia persisting with Green in the ongoing Ashes had impacted the chances of another tall all-rounder Beau Webster.
"But the unfortunate player in this whole Australian summer so far has been Beau Webster. He didn't do much wrong in the games that he played. Certainly, in Australia, in his debut game, he was very good," said Ponting.
"Then had to go to the West Indies, where the wickets were very, very challenging for all batters. And he got undone by a couple of almost unplayable deliveries over there.
"He got injured at the start of the Australian summer and missed a couple of Shield games, which probably didn't help because he didn't get the same sort of run-in and runs under his belt as someone like Labuschagne did. Unfortunately, Beau didn't have that, and as I said, I actually feel a bit for him, and he might be the one that they're thinking about in that No.7 slot as well."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
