"Fair way off the mark" - Ricky Ponting's warning for Australia ahead of their remaining games of 2023 World Cup

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has warned Pat Cummins and Co. that they cannot afford any further missteps in their 2023 World Cup campaign. The Tasmanian also highlighted the importance of finishing towards the top of the table.

Australia's batting unit crumbled in their opening 2023 World Cup game in Chennai against India's relentless spin-bowling unit, managing to score only 199. Only Steve Smith and David Warner made 40+ scores while Mitchell Starc's late cameo gave Australia something to bowl at.

Speaking on the latest review of ICC Podcast, Ponting observed how Australia were way off the mark.

"Australia, to me, looked to be a fair way off the mark, to be honest, in that game against India. You can't afford to be zip-and-two (0-2) in a World Cup. We know how important it is to finish up the top of the table."

Smith, who top-scored with 46, shared a 69-run partnership with David Warner. But the five-time champions failed to string together any other partnerships of note and lost wickets in clusters in the middle overs.

"They're going to need Adam Zampa bowling well" - Ricky Ponting

While Ponting placed faith in Australia's ability to turn their form around, he reckons Adam Zampa must step up after going wicketless in Chennai. He added:

"But I've still got full faith in their squad. It is a very good squad, a very talented squad. We know there's a lot of all-rounders in that side. The other thing that I probably learned is that they're going to need Adam Zampa bowling well. It's as simple as that. With only Zampa and (Glenn) Maxwell as the recognised spinners in their playing XI for that first game, then a lot of the wicket-taking onus is going to come back on Zampa. It didn't happen in game one."

The Men in Yellow will next face South Africa on Thursday in Lucknow.