Ricky Ponting has revealed he was initially less than amused to have his name dragged into the “Clicky Ponting” cheating scandal in the UK, but also found the episode conjured memories of Shane Warne for a very different reason.
Warne’s legendary flipper made an audible clicking sound when he let go of the ball, because of how he squeezed the ball out between thumb and forefingers.
“It was quite amusing,” Seven commentator Ponting said ahead of the network’s coverage of the Test series between Australia and Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay from Thursday.
“Actually, I mean the connotations probably weren’t quite as amusing that it was me seemingly cheating again, or having someone in the game cheating named after me. But after I thought about it, I had a chuckle about it. Thankfully, it all went away in a couple of days.”
Josh Hazlewood said the incident showed how the streaming of club games made it so difficult to get away with sharp practice, and Ponting agreed.
“Back in the good old days, you could do whatever you like, but not any more,” Ponting said. “I mean, the first thing that came to mind with that was when Warne used to bowl and when he bowled his flipper, his fingers used to click like that as well, but his finger and his thumb would come underneath the ball and make that clicking sound. That was really the only time that I’d ever heard anything like that.
“I think it was all just a bit of fun. I said there was nothing [to it]. It didn’t worry me too much at all. I mean, when I woke up and saw the headline … and then clicked on the video and watched it, and yeah, probably wished that headline hadn’t been there then.”
The episode drew worldwide attention, and the English press labelled club cricketer Brian Devine “Clicky Ponting”, a reference to former Australian skipper Ponting.
Devine has drawn condemnation from British broadcaster Piers Morgan and former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, who called him a “click clown”.
The English cricketer was suspended “for the foreseeable future” pending an investigation.
Saltburn Cricket Club released a statement late last month, its first public comment on the scandal since the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League launched an investigation into Devine, who, in videos posted to social media, appears to click his fingers as the ball goes past the bat.
The allegation is that by making a noise similar to an edge, Devine tried to trick umpires into giving batters out caught behind.
Saltburn said it was treating the allegation seriously and urged those who have rushed to condemn Devine to remember that they are an amateur club run by volunteers.
“This is issued in response to the widely publicised complaint made against a Saltburn Cricket Club member and, as a consequence, against the club more generally,” the statement said.
“We are treating this allegation with the utmost seriousness and, as a family-centric club, we are fully co-operating with the NYSD League’s investigation.
“We believe that the club acted decisively as soon as the complaint and investigation were made known to us. The player at the centre of the complaint has been suspended and will not play again for the club this season or in the foreseeable future, pending the outcome of this investigation.
“Initial discussions have already taken place between club officials and the league.
“This has been a very distressing and stressful experience for all those concerned, and we would ask that this reality is borne in mind and that personal boundaries are respected, as we are an amateur club entirely run by volunteers.”
Cricket satirists The Grade Cricketer offered to provide financial support to both the player and the club should they lose sponsorship from the saga.
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Daniel Brettig is The Age’s chief cricket writer and the author of several books on cricket.Connect via X.