Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he had "loved every minute" of the drawn third Ashes Test at Edgbaston despite being booed by some England supporters as he went into bat.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he had "loved every minute" of the drawn third Ashes Test at Edgbaston despite being booed by some England supporters as he went into bat.
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It was not the first time in this Ashes series, where England are 1-0 up with two to play, that Ponting has been jeered by crowds.
So concerned are home officials, according to the London Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, that England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke has written a message in the match programme for the fourth Test at Headingley, which starts on Friday, urging fans to respect all players.
But Ponting, writing in the Daily Telegraph, didn't appear too concerned by the boos, which he was "half-expecting".
And he labelled the Barmy Army, the much criticised and vocal England supporters' group as "the best sporting crowd in the world".
Ponting added: "There is never anything untoward. It is always good, light-hearted stuff, and when England have a sniff of winning the volume goes up tenfold.
"They add a lot to the whole experience of the Ashes.
"The Edgbaston crowd were not the first to boo me this summer - but they were the loudest. Which makes sense, because Edgbaston is famous for being the bullring of English cricket.
"Whenever I walk out of the changing rooms I'm half-expecting it. I'm thinking: 'Right, let's get it out of the way, get the booing done, and then I'll start building my innings."
The Daily Telegraph also said that Clarke would remind spectators that Ponting, the third-highest run scorer in Test history, has "earned the respect and courtesy" of the crowd and that the game "may never see his like again".
But Australia all-rounder Shane Watson told reporters at Headingley on Wednesday he was enjoying the comments of English crowds.
"I think the banter so far in the series has been excellent," Watson said. "I have actually had a lot of laugh and giggles out in the middle, especially during the last Test match, just with the banter the crowds.
"That's what you expect when you come over here and play in different countries," added Watson, who said Ponting's treatment had come as no surprise to him.
"Of course the England fans are going to be like that towards one of the best batsmen in the world. They are going to try and put him off but it's great to know that when you go out to bat the intensity is going to be there not only from the guys you are facing, but also the crowd as well.
"You want to play in the middle with big crowds against you. If there is more booing that's the way it is. It will keep Ricky charging forward because I am sure he has copped worse a lot in his time."
Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan said authorities at Headingley would be doing all they could to ensure spectators did not cross the line, particularly in the notoriously raucous West Stand, where drunken antics are now commonplace.
"The reputation of Headingley has been built up over many years," Regan told The Times.
"The West Stand has a reputation as a party area and we've got to break that. We've put together a series of measures to ensure that those people who want to watch the cricket are not disrupted by those who are simply there to have a good time."
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