Melbourne: Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has blamed Indian conditions, including their delaying tactics, for the slow over-rate problem which his team faced during the Nagpur Test and said the sub continent was a hard place for fast bowlers.

"I have said since I got back that there are a host of things that conspire against you in India. It is a hard place for fast bowlers to keep running in and get through their overs," the Australia captain said on the eve of the first Test against New zealand.

"The sightscreen and spectators play more of a part than they do anywhere else in the world. Their batsmen take up a lot more time than most opposition batsmen do. I mean runs cost you time as much as anything else. When a lot of boundaries are being scored that slows things down a lot," he was quoted as saying in The Australian.

Ponting risked being banned for the first Test against New Zealand since his bowlers were in arrears in Nagpur and sought to speed up the over-rate with his part-timers that drew flak from many including Ian Chappell and Allan Border.

Ponting, though, insisted his decision to carry on with part-timers had nothing to do with self-preservation and said it was time cricket needed its captains and teams to be more accountable for delays caused by drawn out on-field meetings.

"There is a great responsibility for everyone around the world to look at this over rate issue and make sure each team is doing the right thing by the game," Ponting said.

"I and our team have been as guilty as anyone for getting behind in our overs and making the game not as good a spectacle for the fans as what it could potentially be."
Source : DNA