I need to do better, says Ponting

Melbourne, Jan 27 (IANS) Australian captain Ricky Ponting has said that his failure to convert good starts to big innings in the one-dayers was one of the reasons behind the team's series loss to South Africa.

After winning the Test series, South Africa took an unassailable 3-1 win in the five-match series Monday at Adelaide.

Ponting once again was the top-scorer for his team with 63 but fell in the 21st over, as Australian batting failed at the Adelaide Oval.

"Once again in our batting we got ourselves into a reasonable position - 2-114 or something - and then a few overs later we were 5-130, and that's really been the tale right through this series," Ponting was quoted as saying by The Age Tuesday.

"I've said right… through this series that the guys at the top of the order have got to take that responsibility, and every game I've played I've got 60, 60, 40 and 30 and not gone on to make a big score, so I can put my hand up and say that I need to do better."

The captain went on to add that "40s and 50s in cricket games don't win you anything, and here I am today getting 60 again and getting out".

South Africa romped home to seal the series with almost 12 overs to spare, and Ponting described the match as his team's "worst performance of the summer, by a long way".

"That total was obviously never, ever going to be enough if they played well and we didn't take some wickets with the new ball," he said.

The Adelaide Oval was packed to its brim with a sell-out crowd of 25,419 and Ponting said the spectators had "every reason to be disappointed, as we have as players".

Ponting, however, refused to point finger at his teammates and said: "It's not about pointing the finger at anybody. I think we just could have done all aspects of the game a lot better today."