Australian captain Ricky Ponting has apologised if he lacked compassion when seamer Jason Gillespie was axed from the side during its unsuccessful 2005 Ashes defence.
Gillespie, nick-named Dizzy, was dropped before the fourth Test at Trent Bridge and the speedster felt he deserved a better treatment from his skipper.
"There was no, 'Bad luck, mate' or pat on the shoulder, which confirmed for me that I no longer had the support of my captain," 71-Test veteran Gillespie writes in his autobiography, Dizzy.
"Why he didn't have some sort of chat with me, I don't know. It is bewildering. Then again, I am sure he had other things on his mind. After all I'd done playing Test cricket for Australia, I felt I deserved better than that," he wrote.
However, Ponting maintains he could not afford Gillespie special sympathy, given his responsibilities on a tough tour.
"I am not sure what more he would have wanted at that stage. It was pretty clear he wasn't bowling very well. We probably could not continue on leaking the runs we did during that Ashes series with him playing," Ponting was quoted as saying in a Herald Sun report.
"If I have let him down I apologise for that, but I was trying to look after 17 players in the Ashes squad. If I have overlooked something, I apologise," Ponting said.
Ponting agreed with Gillespie that they remained good friends, with the 32-year-old South Australian still hopeful of a Test recall.
"I have always had a great relationship with Dizzy. He was someone I always enjoyed playing with, a terrific bowler and someone great to have around the team. I will have to read his book," Ponting said.
