Australia cricket legend Ricky Ponting pelted with grapes as Ashes Test match turns sour
Australia cricket icon Ricky Ponting was pelted with grapes by England fans
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Australia cricket legend Ricky Ponting was left furious after fans pelted him with grapes on Thursday.
The 48-year-old was reporting on the first day of the fifth Ashes Test, with the visitors already guaranteed to keep the urn.
And fans in the stands decided to pelt Ponting with grapes after England struggled to make their mark.
The hosts were bowled out for just 283, with Bazzball backfiring. Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and Chris Woakes did well enough but everybody else disappointed.
Ricky Ponting was reporting on England's Ashes clash with Australia
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Ponting looked furious at the supporters in question as he came under attack.
"I've just been hit by a grape," he said.
"I wouldn't mind finding out who that was actually."
Ponting knows all about The Ashes, having taken part in 19 matches during his playing days.
He won eight but lost six, with the Australian in charge when England defied the odds to reign supreme back in 2005.
Ponting also stuck the knife into England after a difficult day.
"One thing we have to come to expect with the way England are playing their cricket is that they are going to lose wickets in clumps," he said.
"They haven't really got anyone who is going to come in and sit. Even Joe [Root] has changed his game a lot.
"Today was a good opportunity for him, after England lost a couple of wickets, to come in and really knuckle down, put some of those shots away and play a normal Test innings.
"But with the free-scoring way England want to play, he probably plays a shot that he would have back again. It could have been a better day for England."
Before the fifth Test got started, England star Joe Root complained that matches should be played until 10pm.
That came after the hosts were prevented from winning the fourth Test and setting up a mouthwatering final showdown at The Oval.
Root said: "It doesn’t get dark here in England until 10pm in the summer, why can’t we just play until we bowl the overs?
"There’s been a lot of chat about not bowling the overs.
"There are so many different ways of trying to find opportunities to get as much play in as possible.
"At every opportunity at every stage you should be looking to find ways to get the Test on.
"We batted in worse conditions at Edgbaston, but that is cricket. You just want consistency in those conditions."
Yet Ponting called Root's comments 'ridiculous' - which may explain the grape incident.
"You can’t just choose to change the laws of the game whenever you want to," he said.
"I’m sure there have been times when England have wanted to not get back out there and play themselves.
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"I mean, that’s just a ridiculous thing to say."
England will go into day two hoping to reel in Australia, who have made a solid start with the bat.
Pat Cummins' side will start on 61/1 with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease.