South African pacer Marco Jansen has shared the cheeky parting words from Ricky Ponting that continue to echo in his mind as he prepares to face Australia in the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s.Fresh off a stellar Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Punjab Kings, where he claimed 16 wickets in 14 matches, Jansen revealed that Ponting, who coached the Kings to a runners-up finish in his debut season, offered both support and a light-hearted jab before Jansen left India for England.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Before I left (India), he (Ponting) just said, ‘Good luck, I hope you do well, but I hope you lose’,” Jansen told ICC Digital with a grin, as South Africa’s warm-up match against Zimbabwe was washed out in Arundel.The 24-year-old left-armer was full of praise for Ponting’s coaching style, especially his ability to nurture confidence and focus on the positives.
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“I learnt a lot from him, especially from a mental point of view. He is always positive and he always sees the good stuff instead of the bad. I think that’s why he’s a legend of the game,” Jansen said. “He always reminds you what could happen, what you can do, instead of what might go wrong.”Now shifting focus to red-ball cricket, Jansen is keen to soak up more knowledge from recently retired England pacer Stuart Broad, who has joined the Proteas in a consulting role ahead of the WTC Final.
“Obviously, he’s played a lot against Australia at Lord’s,” Jansen said. “Maybe I’ll pick his brain… ask what they did to get certain batters out. But at the end of the day, you still have to figure it out yourself on the pitch.”
