Full name
Ricky Thomas Ponting
Born
December 19, 1974, Launceston, Tasmania
Current age 35 years 257 days
Major teams Australia, ICC World XI, Kolkata Knight Riders, Somerset, Tasmania
Nickname Punter
Playing role Higher middle order batsman
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Height
1.78 m
Education Mowbray Primary; Brooks Senior High School, Launceston
Relation
Uncle - GD Campbell
Batting and fielding averages
|
Mat |
Inns |
NO |
Runs |
HS |
Ave |
BF |
SR |
100 |
50 |
4s |
6s |
Ct |
St |
| Tests |
146 |
247 |
27 |
12026 |
257 |
54.66 |
20216 |
59.48 |
39 |
52 |
1362 |
70 |
172 |
0 |
| ODIs |
351 |
342 |
37 |
13072 |
164 |
42.85 |
16210 |
80.64 |
29 |
79 |
1164 |
157 |
152 |
0 |
| T20Is |
17 |
16 |
2 |
401 |
98* |
28.64 |
302 |
132.78 |
0 |
2 |
41 |
11 |
8 |
0 |
| First-class |
246 |
418 |
54 |
20873 |
257 |
57.34 |
|
|
73 |
90 |
|
|
261 |
0 |
| List A |
421 |
412 |
50 |
15388 |
164 |
42.50 |
|
|
33 |
94 |
|
|
184 |
0 |
| Twenty20 |
22 |
21 |
2 |
460 |
98* |
24.21 |
375 |
122.66 |
0 |
2 |
44 |
13 |
10 |
0 |
|
Mat |
Inns |
Balls |
Runs |
Wkts |
BBI |
BBM |
Ave |
Econ |
SR |
4w |
5w |
10 |
| Tests |
146 |
30 |
539 |
242 |
5 |
1/0 |
1/0 |
48.40 |
2.69 |
107.8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| ODIs |
351 |
5 |
150 |
104 |
3 |
1/12 |
1/12 |
34.66 |
4.16 |
50.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| T20Is |
17 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| First-class |
246 |
|
1434 |
768 |
14 |
2/10 |
|
54.85 |
3.21 |
102.4 |
|
0 |
0 |
| List A |
421 |
|
349 |
269 |
8 |
3/34 |
3/34 |
33.62 |
4.62 |
43.6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Twenty20 |
22 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Test debut |
Australia v Sri Lanka at Perth, Dec 8-11, 1995 scorecard |
| Last Test |
Australia v Pakistan at Leeds, Jul 21-24, 2010 scorecard |
| Test statistics |
|
| ODI debut |
Australia v South Africa at Wellington, Feb 15, 1995 scorecard |
| Last ODI |
England v Australia at Lord's, Jul 3, 2010 scorecard |
| ODI statistics |
|
| T20I debut |
New Zealand v Australia at Auckland, Feb 17, 2005 scorecard |
| Last T20I |
Australia v Sri Lanka at Nottingham, Jun 8, 2009 scorecard |
| T20I statistics |
|
| First-class debut |
1992/93 |
| Last First-class |
Australia v Pakistan at Leeds, Jul 21-24, 2010 scorecard |
| List A debut |
1992/93 |
| Last List A |
England v Australia at Lord's, Jul 3, 2010 scorecard |
| Twenty20 debut |
Somerset v Northamptonshire at Taunton, Jul 15, 2004 scorecard |
| Last Twenty20 |
Australia v Sri Lanka at Nottingham, Jun 8, 2009 scorecard |
Ricky Ponting, the most uncompromising player of his generation, grew into Australia's most successful run-maker and only sits below Bradman in the country's overall ratings. It takes an extremely critical eye to diminish his run-scoring achievements, which seem to collect new records in every series. Like spotting a celebrity, it's necessary to look twice when analysing Ponting, first as the archetypal modern batsman, then as the country's 42nd Test captain. There is no doubt about his greatness after taking guard, but his leadership has been under scrutiny for much of his reign. While his blade has sparkled, his stewardship is pock-marked by two Ashes defeats in England, the first since Billy Murdoch in the 19th century to achieve the feat, and stumbles to South Africa and India.
Those results haven't stopped him from becoming the most successful captain in Test history after passing Steve Waugh's 41 wins in the 2009-10 Boxing Day Test. In the same match he overtook Shane Warne's 92 victories as the most by an individual, and he has never lost a World Cup game. For the first three years of his reign he was in charge of a superstar unit and did not have to decide much tactically, but once that group headed for retirement he had to change from a manager to moulder.
As a batsman the only debate is where to rank him in the high reaches of the game's greatest run-makers. Acclaimed by Academy coach Rod Marsh as the best teenage batsman he had ever seen, Ponting began with Tasmania at 17 and Australia at 20, and was given out unluckily for 96 on his Test debut. There were some teething problems, including a public admission of an alcohol problem, but the longer he went on the more he matured, building up records and runs.
He plays all the shots with a full flourish of the bat - the cover drive and the pull are particularly productive methods - and knows only to attack. His breathtaking, dead-eye fielding is a force in the game by itself. Only Sachin Tendulkar has more centuries in Tests and ODIs than Ponting, who is a natural in the game's traditional forms, but resistant to the perks of Twenty20, which he retired from in 2009. There have been setbacks against probing seam attacks, high-class finger-spin and, latterly, short balls, which he insists are meant to be pulled or hooked. These will be minor matters whenever he retires.
-
February 15, 1995
-
Makes ODI debut at the age of 20 and scores 1 against South Africa
in Wellington.
-
December 10, 1995
-
Makes Test debut against Sri Lanka
at the WACA and is unlucky to be given out lbw on 96.
-
July 24, 1997
-
Returns to the Test team with a bang at Headingley, batting at No. 6 and scoring
127, his maiden century. With Matthew Elliott he lifts Australia from 4 for 50 to 9 declared for 501.
-
February-March 2003
-
Leads Australia's successful World Cup campaign in South Africa, scoring
140 not out in the final.
-
December 26-30, 2003
-
Joins Bradman as the second player to score three double-centuries in a calendar year with
257 against India at the MCG. He reached 242 in the previous match and 206 against West Indies in April, helping him to 1503 runs at 100.2 for 2003. His performances would win him the 2004 Allan Border Medal.
-
January 2005
-
Scores 207 against Pakistan
in Sydney to become only the third Australian, along with Don Bradman and Greg Chappell, to score four or more double-centuries in Tests.
-
June 2005
-
Suffers humiliating defeat in an ODI against Bangladesh
in Cardiff. It's the start of a torrid summer in England.
-
July-September 2005
-
A heroic 156 saves the
Old Trafford Test but, on September 12, Ponting becomes the first Australian captain since Allan Border in 1986-87 to taste defeat in an Ashes series.
-
January 2-6, 2006
-
Ponting scores hundreds in each innings of his
100th Test, against South Africa at the SCG.
-
March 24-28, 2006
-
Scores two more hundreds in the
Durban Test, it's the third time Ponting's scored hundreds in each innings of a Test. Sunil Gavaskar is the only other batsman to achieve this feat.
-
January 2008
-
Ponting ends a 13-month century-less run with 140 against India
in Adelaide, at the end of a controversial series.
-
May 2008
-
Scores 35th Test century, against West Indies
in Jamaica, to pass Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara's tallies. Only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him.
-
October 2008
-
After averaging 12.28 in 14 innings, Ponting finally scores a century in India - a 123
in Bangalore.
-
July 2009
-
Passes Allan Border's tally of 11,174 during the
Edgbaston Test to become Australia's highest run-scorer.
-
January 2010
-
Scores fifth double-century, against Pakistan
in Hobart, and narrowly misses scoring a double-century and a century in the same Test.
-
(Aug 30, 2010)
-
(Aug 25, 2010)
-
(Aug 23, 2010)
-
(Aug 23, 2010)
-
(Aug 16, 2010)
Jul 24, 2010
Ricky Ponting was unimpressed with the decision to refer Michael Hussey's 'catch' off Kamran Akmal to the TV replay
© Getty Images
Jul 24, 2010
Ricky Ponting feels the pain after another series win in England goes begging
© Getty Images
Jul 23, 2010
Ricky Ponting looks bereft of ideas as Shane Watson completes another fruitless over
© Getty Images
|
|
ICC Player of the Year - 2006,2007
ICC Test Player of the Year - 2003, 2004, 2006
One-Day International Player of the Year - 2002
Allan Border Medal - 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009
Wisden Cricketer of the Year - 2006
Cricinfo Player of the Decade - 2000-09