Shane Warne and the decline of Australian bowling?

[Leafy Seadragon]

I agree with the comments. I think Ponting occasionally forgets he's captain and allows a bowler (particularly Warne) or a pair of bowlers to just keep going. There have been occasions when the whole country was screaming for someone to have a bowl, to the point where commentators have assumed that the bowler must be injured, before the lightbulb goes on in Punter's head and he remembers he's captain and supposed to be thinking about the game going on in front of him. There's been occasions where Warne himself has been forgotten - the "Oh, cripes its nearly lunch, umm...Shane?".

I think that Australia has relied even more on Warne over 2005 than in the past, which has partly attributed to his increased workload and wicket-haul. But I also think that Ponting's lack of original capataincy has meant that he tends to try a plan A, then try it some more, forget about it, remember and then actually consider plan B. I would love for a young leader to step up to the plate and allow Ricky to focus on what he does best - bat like few others can. Unfortunately, even then I think it unlikely that the Oz selectors would ask Ponting to step down. Pity...