Ricky Ponting

Ricky Thomas Ponting, former cricket team captain of Australian team, is regarded as one of the best batsmen of all time. During his time with Australia, he led the team to two World Cup victories. He has also leaded his team as run scorer in ODIs and Tests. Moreover, he is the only player to won more than 100 Test Matches.

'Punter', referred by his teammates, was born in Tasmania on 19 December 1974. At the age of 17, he made his Tasmanian First Class debut.

Former Australian Wicketkeeper Rod Marsh considered him "best among the teens'' while watching him play there. As a result of his three years playing journey, Ponting made his way to the national team.

Personal Information

Born: 19 Dec 1974 Nationality: Australian
Years Active: (1995-2012) Birth Place: Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Height: 5 ft 8 in Role: Batsman
Batting Style: Right-Handed Bat Bowling Style: Right-arm Medium
Nickname:Punter  

Ricky Ponting’s Journey

Family

Ricky Ponting was born in Launceston, Tasmania on 19 December 1974, the eldest child of Graeme and Lorraine Ponting. Graeme was also a good club cricketer and played Australian football while Lorraine was a champion in state vigorous sports. Originally, Ponting's parents lived in Prospect in Tasmania but they later moved to Newnham, Tasmania, a working-class neighborhood.

He married his long-time girlfriend, law student Rianna Cantor, in June 2002. According to him, she helped him become more mature. The couple is parents to three children, Emmy Charlotte (daughter), Matisse Ellie (daughter), and Fletcher William (son).

First Appearance

Ricky Ponting debuted for Australia in 1995 in an ODI match against South Africa followed by his Test debut the following year. As a player, he played with legends like Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, and Adam Gilchrist among others.

Before his debut in Australian cricket team, Ricky Ponting was a well-known name in the batting circle and also in terms of his strong mindset since he played first-class cricket for Australia.

Ascend to Glory

As soon as he made his debut, he started piling up runs for Australia. His inning of 140* in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup final is most renowned. This is because the mighty Australians blasted India out of the final scoring with a huge total of 359.

The year before, he had played 71 Tests out of which he scored 5115 runs at an average of 52.73. In addition to this, he had played 131 ODIs in which he scored 4800 runs at an average of 41.37. By then, he had already scored 26 international hundreds.

Low Point

In terms of his career, the only part Punter would not like to see is his losses during the Ashes series and his performances in India. His performance on the subcontinent was disappointing as a captain as well as a batsman. In every other nation, he has a Test average above 40, but in India, it was only 26.

His career came to an end in 2012 after a disastrous home series against South Africa.

Captaincy

After Steve Waugh dropped from the captain's role, he became Australia's captain in 2002. While his aggressive captaincy won him many fans, his hard play also attracted criticism.

Ponting was considered the best captain of his era and led the most successful team in the world for many years. The longest winning streak of any team in World Cups was 34 matches for Australia. They won 16 consecutive Test matches. Except for India, his team outperformed all the nations in their own country.

As Australia's captain, Ponting led the team to 165 ODI victories at a 76.14 winning percentage and 48 Test victories at a 62.33 winning percentage.

Ponting's Record

  • Three-time world cup winner (1999, 2003, 2007).
  • Test and ODI cricket's highest scorer for Australia.
  • Scored a century in each of his 100 innings.
  • Finished second in the world ranking for maximum test scores at 13,378.
  • First batsman to score a century against each of the nations that play Test cricket.
  • For the ICC Champions Trophy, Ponting and Watson hold the record for the highest partnership (252 not out for the second wicket).
  • With a score of 242, Ponting scored the highest individual Test inning in a losing cause.

Retirement

In March 2011, Ponting resigned as Australia's captain after losing to India in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

He retired from Test cricket in December 2012, after scoring 13,378 runs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar of India. In 2013, he retired from all forms of the sport, though he worked as a coach for several years afterward.

Career Statistics

ODI
Matches: 375 Run Scored: 13704
Batting Average: 42.04 Top Score: 164
200/100/50: 0/30/82 Wickets: 3
T20
Matches: 17 Run Scored: 401
Batting Average:28.64 Top Score: 98
200/100/50: 0/0/2 Wickets: 0
Test
Matches: 168 Run Scored: 13378
Batting Average: 51.85 Top Score: 257
200/100/50: 6/41/62 Wickets: 5

Image Gallery

Virat Kohli’s Cricket Glimpses