<p>Former skipper Ricky Ponting has backed suspended Australia vice-captain Shane Watson, saying the all-rounder's commitment for the team was beyond question.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Ponting, however, chose to steer clear of the ongoing crisis in the touring Australian team in the aftermath of the unprecedented dumping of four players in India.<br /><br />Watson, along with three other players -- James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja -- were suspended for the ongoing third Test in India after failing to submit a presentation to coach Mickey Arthur on how to improve the team's performance in the wake of the humiliating defeats in the first two matches in Chennai and Hyderabad.<br /><br />"Shane worked as hard as anybody around his cricket, there's no doubt about that. He's obviously made a blue here - I don't like to refer to it as homework because it wasn't homework - not getting his tasks done that were given to him by the coach," Ponting said.<br /><br />" ... I've never known him to be anything other than a very good team player and a great bloke to have around your team," he was quoted as saying by 'The Australian'.<br />"I loved every moment that I played with Watto. To tell the truth I think I understood him and his personality as well as anyone that I ever played with. I tried to get as close to him as I could," said Ponting, who had brought in Watson into the Australian team.<br /><br />Ponting did not agree with Cricket Australia's high performance manager Pat Howard, who described Watson as "sometimes" a team player.<br /><br />"Pat's known Shane for 12 months and (Australian captain) Michael (Clarke) and Shane have known each other for the best part of 20 years," he said.<br />Ponting backed Watson's decision to be with his wife during the birth of their first child in Sydney.<br /><br />"(It's) obviously a personal decision and he probably doesn't care how it looks," he said.<br /><br />"What the girls go through when we're away is hard enough as it is but there's certain things in your personal life you don't want to miss."</p>
<p>Former skipper Ricky Ponting has backed suspended Australia vice-captain Shane Watson, saying the all-rounder's commitment for the team was beyond question.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Ponting, however, chose to steer clear of the ongoing crisis in the touring Australian team in the aftermath of the unprecedented dumping of four players in India.<br /><br />Watson, along with three other players -- James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja -- were suspended for the ongoing third Test in India after failing to submit a presentation to coach Mickey Arthur on how to improve the team's performance in the wake of the humiliating defeats in the first two matches in Chennai and Hyderabad.<br /><br />"Shane worked as hard as anybody around his cricket, there's no doubt about that. He's obviously made a blue here - I don't like to refer to it as homework because it wasn't homework - not getting his tasks done that were given to him by the coach," Ponting said.<br /><br />" ... I've never known him to be anything other than a very good team player and a great bloke to have around your team," he was quoted as saying by 'The Australian'.<br />"I loved every moment that I played with Watto. To tell the truth I think I understood him and his personality as well as anyone that I ever played with. I tried to get as close to him as I could," said Ponting, who had brought in Watson into the Australian team.<br /><br />Ponting did not agree with Cricket Australia's high performance manager Pat Howard, who described Watson as "sometimes" a team player.<br /><br />"Pat's known Shane for 12 months and (Australian captain) Michael (Clarke) and Shane have known each other for the best part of 20 years," he said.<br />Ponting backed Watson's decision to be with his wife during the birth of their first child in Sydney.<br /><br />"(It's) obviously a personal decision and he probably doesn't care how it looks," he said.<br /><br />"What the girls go through when we're away is hard enough as it is but there's certain things in your personal life you don't want to miss."</p>