An ode to Legendary Ricky Ponting

By Adrian Meredith

MELBOURNE, Australia (TheSportsNEXT) December 6, 2012: Growing up in Tasmania, we all knew about David Boon, the first Tasmanian to have a lengthy international cricket career.

Nobody would ever beat Boon, they said. Jamie Cox was touted in his youth as one day surpassing Boon, but, as we know, Cox didn't end up playing a single international match (though he was somewhat unlucky, as he timed his rich vein of form at just the wrong time). When Ricky Ponting came along, while some were hopeful, the expectation wasn't quite there, in light of the disappointment at Cox not playing internationally.

Ricky Ponting, like Jamie Cox, was first discovered as a teenager. But while Cox played first grade cricket at the age of 14 and was in the state side at 16, Ponting instead was learning the basics at the Australian Cricket Academy. Before he had even played first grade cricket, his coaches were saying that he would one day be the Australian test cricket captain, something that made front page news in Tasmania.

Ponting didn't play first class cricket until he was 18 years of age, which, considering his talent, was somewhat late. He was easily good enough at 15, but the Australian coaching fraternity deliberately held him back. He didn't even play first grade cricket until a few months before then.

Unlike Cox, who took some 6 or 7 years to produce at first class level, Ponting produced immediately, averaging around 40 in his very first first class season, and from there he kept improving.

In spite of this, the national selectors refused to put him in the team. In spite of being easily good enough at 18, Ponting had to wait for 2 full years of first class cricket, until he was 20, before he finally got his international debut, and only in the ODI arena.

Ponting's debut match was in New Zealand, against South Africa, where he batted at 6, instead of his customary number 3. He scored 1 off 6 balls and was clean bowled by the little known bowler Eric Simons, someone who never played a test and managed just 23 one day internationals, all within a year of each other. Yet Australia won the match, by just 3 wickets, but with almost 7 overs to spare, in a match that saw South Africa bowled out for just 123. Ponting had started poorly but he wasn't really needed.

Ponting may have failed but he was given another chance. In his second match, he scored 10 not out off 8 balls to help to set Australia up to 254, a winning score against India. And in his third match, this time batting at number 3, he sensibly made 62 off 92, showing that that is where he would prefer to bat; but sadly the team lost - their first lost that he was involved in.

After just 6 ODIs, with that 62 his top score, Ponting was given a test debut.

On his test debut, against Sri Lanka in Perth, Ponting scored an impressive 96 in his only innings, batting at number 5, ahead of Stuart Law, who managed 54 not out in what was to be his only test innings. Australia piled on a massive 5 for 617, winning by an innings plus, and Ponting's score was far from the highest score - Mark Waugh managed a century and Michael Slater a double century, while captain Mark Taylor equalled Ponting's score. Sri Lanka's Hashan Tillekeratne managed a century as well.

Ponting took a long time to establish himself. In spite of averaging in the 40s in ODIs, at a strike rate in the high 80s, unheard of in those days, Ponting still wasn't given regular opportunities. He averaged low 50s in the test arena yet still couldn't secure a place. He played often enough; but he took a long time to secure the number 3 spot, instead having to bat anywhere from number 4 to number 6. He took even longer to secure the number 3 spot in tests.

Right when Ponting seemed to be finally getting a secure spot, tragedy struck. It was 1999, 4 years after he made his debut, when Ponting was just 24 years of age. He was beaten badly outside a Sydney nightclub.

It was a time when the cricketing world was still rocking from former spin bowling all-rounder Greg Matthews being beaten outside a nightclub. And now Ponting was too. Ponting was expected to be out for 2-3 weeks due to his injuries. He was expected to help police with their inquiries. There was a growing concern that sports people were being targeted by members of the public.

But, a couple of days after the incident, Ricky Ponting shocked the cricketing world by saying that he could not remember his attackers.

Greg Matthews was outraged, as were many members of the cricketing world and the general public. The consensus was that he was lying. He knew who had attacked him but refused to name them.

Ponting went further by saying that he had a drinking problem, put himself into rehab and asked to be given a harsh penalty.

The Australian Cricket Board, as they were then known, weren't sure if he was lying, or if he really had a drinking problem. If he was lying, he was protecting criminals, and doing the wrong thing by Greg Matthews. If he had a drinking problem, he needed to take time off to recover. Either way, the result was that he was out of the team for the best part of 6 months, at a time when he was just starting to establish himself.

After he returned, it wasn't easy for him either. Ponting didn't go straight back into the number 3 spot - he had to start over, as it were, batting at number 6. He didn't get his test spot back either. He had to earn it. He had to earn it about 5 times as much as he had earned it before. Previously he was given multiple chances because he had talent. This time around he had to prove not just that he was the 6th best batsman in the country, but that he was the absolute number 1, and by a big margin. Only then would they consider him.

Ponting saw the challenge laid before him, and it seemed to define him. We may never know if he was lying or really had a drinking problem - and if he was lying, why he was lying. But the end result is that he did a lot better afterwards. He quickly became the best batsman in Australia, and lived up to his reputation.

Ponting was overlooked for the test captain's job after Mark Taylor retired, a job that he probably would have got if not for the brawl. Instead, Steve Waugh was given a shot, even though he was already late into his career. But Ponting learned from this too, and took it as inspiration to avoid any hint of controversy. He had to be the best batsman in the country and he had to be devoid of any hint of controversy.

When Steve Waugh was punished from Australia missing the finals in their own ODI tri series for the first time in over a decade, Ricky Ponting took over as ODI captain - but he was far from being guaranteed as the next test captain.

But, with fingers crossed, and with Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist also strong contenders, Ponting got the test captaincy!

The relief showed as Ponting came into the form of his life, averaging over 60 with the bat, being easily the best batsman in the world, and showing that he would not repeat Mark Taylor's effort of having his batting go downhill once he took over as captain.

Eventually, though, Ponting's excitement at having achieved everything waned and his batting started to slip a bit. It started when many of his fellow greats retired, the likes of Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath. But Ponting took Matthew Hayden's retirement, amongst angry calls for him to be sacked due to his poor form, especially hard. Ponting pointed out that Hayden had only been out of form for a year, and in that time still had a test batting average of almost 40 - and just a year earlier was the best opening batsman in the world!

Whether it was the extra pressure on his batting caused by so many stars disappearing, or his fear that the public would turn on him quickly like they did on Matthew Hayden, Ponting went into his shell somewhat after that. Like Hayden had, Ponting's average went downwards. There were public calls for him to be sacked - though perhaps not quite as many as there were for Hayden to retire, as there was nobody really to replace Ponting. The calls grew louder and louder yet they weren't prepared to replace him.

This year, Ponting had a rebirth of sorts. He played T20 again after a long absence and did magnificently well, also doing well in domestic ODIs in spite of being cut from the national team, and in first class matches he was comfortably the player of the year.

He entered the first test against South Africa in the form of his life. His feet were moving. He was doing everything right.

But scores of 0, 14 and 6 in 3 innings did little to inspire confidence.

While it was better than the alternative (Rob Quiney managed 9, 0 and 0), it simply wasn't good enough and he has announced his retirement, rightly, before the Perth test, so that he can try to perform as well as he can, knowing that no matter how well he does he won't play again.

Perhaps Ponting should have retired 3 or 4 years ago. Perhaps he should have retired while his test batting average was still a scarcely believable 58, instead of waiting for it to fall down to 52.

But he fought it out, he tried to do the right thing. And, ultimately, he has retired, rather than being sacked.

And, it should be noted, he wasn't going to be sacked, because, quite simply, there is nobody to replace him.

While David Hussey has a better FC batting average and is in better form, the selectors are reluctant to give him a shot because of his age. George Bailey might get a shot but he still has the earmark of being a limited overs specialist. And for everyone else we have a choice of players with great long term form versus players who are currently doing well.

Ricky Ponting will go down as Australia's greatest ever captain - statistically at least - who stood over Australia during their greatest ever period, when he was their greatest player, and also, indisputably, the best batsman ever to play for Australia - after Don Bradman.

He finishes equal with Steve Waugh for most number of test appearances for Australia and second behind only the great Sachin Tendulkar for most test runs in the entire world.

His legacy is that for over a decade he was competing with Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest batsman in the world, and for at least a couple of years, he was easily the best.

A player with great potential, he is someone who showed that potential.

He is easily Tasmania's greatest ever player, far surpassing David Boon. And he will be remembered for a very long time.

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Ricky Ponting Guard of Honour wasn’t pre-planned: Cricket South Africa

By Bipin Dani

MUMBAI, India (TheSportsNEXT) December 5, 2012: The emotional farewell to Ricky Ponting in his last Test innings at Perth was not pre-planned, according to Cricket South Africa (CSA).

Former Australian captain and the second highest run-scorer in Test history, Ponting was given a guard of honour by the South Africa team as he walked to the crease.

"Graeme Smith felt that it should be done as a token of respect for Ponting. It wasn’t pre-planned, it was a spur of the moment gesture", Lerato Malekutu, the Media Officer, South Africa team said. "The players were humbled to share the final stage with the Australian legend".

Interestingly, South African all-rounder, Jacques Kallis, did not celebrate Ponting's catch in the slip. Instead, he rushed to shake Ponting's hand, with hat removed.

"The action of Kallis did not surprise me", Keith Richardson, his one-time Head Master at Wynberg Boys' High School said exclusviely from Cape Town. "Kallis and Ponting are friends and rivals and both have immense respect for one another’s ability. They came onto the national stage of their respective countries at roughly the same time and have similar batting records. Their careers have been intertwined and it is fitting that it ended in this way", he added.

Ponting's farewell has been compared with Don Bradman's by former Australian opener, Arthur Morris. In fact, Morris, who watched Ponting's farewell on television at his Sydney home, was at the non-striker's end when Don Bradman was bowled for a duck by Eric Hollies in the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval in 1948. Bradman needed only four runs to finish with a career magical Test average of 100.

"Both farewells were marvellous. I scored 196 runs in that Test, but people still remember Bradman, who played only innings in the Test. God knows how many he would have scored in the second innings...", Morris concluded.

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Australia-South Africa Test Series: Top Performers

By Adrian Meredith

MELBOURNE, Australia (TheSportsNEXT) December 5, 2012: The high-profile Test series between the two best Test teams in the world, Australia and South Africa, has just concluded with Proteas winning the three-match series 1-0 as they won the Perth Test by 309 runs.

TheSportsNEXT.com’s cricket analyst Adrian Meredith has given marks to all the players from both sides on the basis of their performances.

9.5 - Michael Clarke (576 runs at 144.00, 7 catches) - Double centuries in each of the first two tests was the difference between Australia losing and drawing in the first and an obvious draw and a probable Australian victory in the second. He finished with some 200 runs more than anyone else in the series and his average was higher than anyone else bar Faf du Plessis - who was out just twice with two not outs. The only possible fault is that he was unable to get that win that was so needed in the second test, failing to use the bowlers properly, and also in the third test when a spectacular batting collapse - that he was a part of - put South Africa into a winning position, when before that they were losing badly. Deservedly the player of the series, he will be incredibly annoyed that South Africa ended up winning the series 1-0 in a series that Australia were ahead in for most of the series.

9.5 - Faf du Plessis (293 runs at 146.50) - You could say that he benefited from two not outs, and even had a failure in his fourth innings, but it isn't just the runs that matter but the way that he scored them. In his first innings, he top scored, then in the second he not only scored an unbeaten century to also top score but batted for the best part of two days to make sure of an unlikely draw. He didn't do quite as well in the second test but still did enough to help South Africa along to a victory. It is very picky to fault him for failing in the 2nd innings of the 2nd test, especially when South Africa already had the game won by that stage. The only real fault was that he was expected to bowl a bit to cover JP Duminy - but his batting more than made up for it.

8 - Michael Hussey (295 runs at 59.00) - From the first innings, when he scored a run a ball century to first bring Australia back to level pegging and then to get them ahead until the very end, he fought hard for his runs. In the Australian team it was him + Clarke doing most of the work and when both failed in the first innings of the third test, Australia fell apart. He may be 37 years of age but he is still Australia's best batsmen and the selectors won't let him retire.

8 - AB de Villiers (276 runs at 55.20, 8 catches, 1 stumping) - It might not look like much but A B de Villiers, when he scored that 33 in the second innings of the second test, was one of the best 33s you are likely to see, as he batted for almost an entire day, blocking everything and destroying the will of the Australian bowlers - so much so that they were unable to bowl in the third test. He capitalised with an easy century in the third test to set up the victory - his first century as a wicket keeper in test cricket since taking over from Boucher - and is showing that there is a chance that he will get to keep the gloves, rather than giving them to the young Quinton de Kock. de Kock may have to come in purely as a batsman and wait for de Villiers to retire now.

8 - Morne Morkel (14 wickets at 28.50) - The best bowler on display for either side, Morne was supposed to be the worst of the 3 South African fast bowlers but instead was the best. While Steyn was erratic and Philander hopeless - not to mention Kleinveldt and especially not mentioning Tahir - Morne just kept taking wickets. He had variety, he had depth, he had everything.

7.5 - Jacques Kallis (339 runs at 56.50, 2 wickets at 24.50, 5 catches) - He was superb in the second test, first taking two quick wickets to crush Australia, then injuring himself, and coming out to bat twice to score valuable runs to help South Africa to draw it, making sure that his injury didn't cost them much. He then came back in the third and was mature and excellent. His seniority, level headedness and determination was invaluable.

7.5 - Mitchell Starc (68 runs without being dismissed, 8 wickets at 26.12) - The calls for him to play in both the first two tests reached fever pitch when his absence almost certainly cost Australia any chance of winning the second test, after Pattinson was injured, and as a result he played in the third, was the highest wicket taker, taking 2 quick wickets in the first innings and coming back for 6 in the second to be clearly the best bowler on display. When all was lost, he then showed his batting skill, smashing 68 runs in no time flat - at a T20 strike rate of 143 - and wasn't dismissed in either innings. His performance in the third test once again showed that the Australian selectors were, once again, largely responsible for Australia's failures in this test series, as they left out their best bowler, an unforgivable act. Hopefully now Starc will not be left out again.

7 - Mitchell Johnson (6 wickets at 27.33, 4 catches) - He came back brilliantly after such a long time out of the side, and in South Africa's second innings was involved in virtually every dismissal, taking 4 catches to go with his 4 wickets. He had heart, he had intimidation, and he had accuracy. He wasn't quite as good as he was last time he played at the WACA - but it is hard for him to get much better either. A very good performance and he showed that he should have been considered as the "experienced bowler" ahead of both Siddle and Hilfenhaus for the first and second tests as well.

6 - Robin Peterson (6 wickets at 28.50) - He was considered to be the second best spinner on the tour, behind Imran Tahir, but after Tahir bombed out in the second test in helpful conditions, South Africa surprised a little by picking him - perhaps because their only other alternative was the misfiring Kleinveldt. While the conditions weren't helpful, and he wasn't the most damaging of the bowlers, he nonetheless took a lot more wickets than he was expected to. Perhaps he benefited from the work done by other bowlers but nonetheless he had good figures, even if they are perhaps a bit flattering.

6 - Matthew Wade (121 runs at 30.25, 8 catches, 1 stumping) - Wade lost the wicket keeping battle in terms of runs but still managed to stay on par with de Villiers in terms of dismissals - both finishing with 9 - and had a tidy display behind the stumps. While some of his batting was pretty poor, in the first innings of the third test, he was the only batsman that played the conditions properly, and gave some hope for Australia to still win it. He is still a bit inconsistent with the bat but he is showing that potential that he could be something very special, and in tough conditions he did very well here.

6 - James Pattinson (5 wickets at 38.40) - The figures don't look that great but he was comfortably Australia's best bowler in the first test before breaking down in the second. While Siddle, Hilfenhaus and Lyon were all hopeless, Pattinson was actually taking wickets. Ultimately, it was all too much for one young bowler, and I have to wonder if Starc had been in the side - let alone Johnson - he wouldn't have got his injury. Just the same, by becoming injured so early in the 2nd test, he cost the side any chance of victory. They still should have won, but had he stayed fit, it would have made certain of it. Sadly, he is out for the summer now, and, along with Pat Cummins, there will be real question marks over his ability to stay fit.

5 - Graeme Smith (255 runs at 42.50, 10 catches) - He defied the critics with a century in the first test, but then failed in every other innings for a somewhat disappointing series. His captaincy was good and helped to keep South Africa in the series but he will want to improve on his batting, as he led South Africa into a path of destruction far too often. Still not the worst series though.

5 - Hashim Amla (377 runs at 62.83) - Take out his final innings of 196 and he scored just 181 runs at 36.2, somewhat highlighting why he is being given such a poor rating. He failed in the first test, was ordinary in the second, and continued to be ordinary in the first innings of the 3rd test. Then, somehow, South Africa learned how to play at the WACA, seemingly overnight, as he realised that the only way to play on that ground is to attack - which is what he did with great success. If it weren't for that innings, he would have scored a 2 or 3, but he gets lifted up to a 5 for the series, and ends up with a nice little average for what was overall a pretty disappointing series for him.

4 - David Warner (206 runs at 41.20) - The figures look nice, but, other than a run a ball century in the second test, he didn't do an awful lot. He looked dangerous every time he was out there, a bit like Sehwag or Gayle, but he was too easy to out think and fell cheaply far too often.

4 - Dale Steyn (12 wickets at 30.83) - For a bowler ranked as the best bowler in the world, this was a horrible series for Steyn, as he was wayward, easily dealt with, and far below Morne Morkel. He did well while Australia were in panic mode in the first innings of the third test, which boosted his average for the series, but otherwise this was pretty disappointing for him. He lost that fear factor about him and the Australian batsmen were more worried about Morkel than Steyn.

4 - Ed Cowan (228 runs at 45.60) - Like Warner, Cowan scored a century and not much else. Unlike Warner, Cowan was scoring at closer to a run every two balls. Other than for his surprising century, Cowan looked out of his depth and he surely doesn't belong at test level. Sadly for Australian cricket fans, that century means that he won't be dumped in a hurry, and will probably play for the entire next test series, giving cheap wickets to opposition bowlers.

4 - Nathan Lyon (12 wickets at 40.50) - He actually finished as the leading wicket taker for Australia, in spite of twice bowling on pace friendly conditions, at Brisbane and Perth, when most people would have thought that Australia should have gone in with 4 fast bowlers - especially considering how talented the fast bowlers are in Australia. He did better than his overall FC record this season, which is a plus, and on occasion actually bowled well; but for the most part he was carted all around and was no threat. Sadly, with the selectors insisting on playing 2 experienced bowlers in Siddle and Hilfenhaus, he didn't have a lot of competition.

3 - Shane Watson (35 runs at 17.50, 1 wicket at 46.00) - Not the best return, but one hell of a lot better than Rob Quiney, and he added that extra genuine bowling option, as well as just adding that genuine all rounder. He didn't deliver this time around but he looked very dangerous and South Africa were clearly wary of him, both with batting and bowling.

3 - Alviro Petersen (200 runs at 33.33, 1 catch) - He ranged from bad to awful, and was very lucky that he wasn't facing Australia's best bowlers - instead only up against Hilfenhaus and Siddle. Why he is in the South African set up is anybody's guess as the guy is clearly a long way below test level. South Africa have so many much better options than him.

2.5 - Peter Siddle (9 wickets at 38.00) - He has heart. He can bowl forever. All great if trying was an important factor in test cricket. The problem is that it is all about skill and the ability to turn that skill into results. Peter Siddle doesn't have either of these. He might be okay bowling for a weaker side but right now he is outside of the top 10 best fast bowlers in Australia and should not have been considered. He bowled terribly all series long, shocking batsmen with that odd decent ball, that a couple of times took wickets, simply because the South African batsmen didn't take him seriously. He was included because the selectors were afraid to have too many inexperienced youngsters. But his inclusion was a large part of what cost Australia the series. The difference in quality between the attack in Perth and that shown in the first two tests was huge.

2 - Ben Hilfenhaus (6 wickets at 35.50) - He was economical and helped other bowlers to take wickets. That is always a good thing. The problem is that the only bowler good enough to take wickets was James Pattinson, who was doing it all alone. Hilfenhaus might be useful if the other 3 were all quality bowlers, but when you have Siddle and Lyon as 2 of the 3, simply being economical isn't good enough. The guy should not have been in the mix for this series, and it is shameful that he was given two tests.

1 - John Hastings (1 wicket at 153.00, 52 runs at 26.00) - He looked to be bowling quite well but after an early breakthrough he didn't manage another as other bowlers took wickets and when South Africa were going berserk, he, like everyone else, couldn't get a breakthrough. He batted quite well, it must be said, but unfortunately he was mainly there as a bowler. Like Clint McKay, he may now be considered to be a limited overs specialist. Given his poor ODI and T20 record, though, he may not be playing much more internationally in any format though.

1 - Vernon Philander (4 wickets at 49.75) - At least he took a couple of wickets in the third test, after being hopeless in the first test and then having a rest for the second (sorry, injured!) The guy looked a shadow of his former self and perhaps he will never return to that level. He was supposed to be one third of the best fast bowling trio in world cricket, but instead it became pretty much a one man band.

1 - Jacques Rudolph (74 runs at 18.50) - He was very lucky to last two tests, or indeed to be given the first test, and really seemed to be superfluous to requirements, as the frontline bowlers were batting better than he was. Luckily for Rudolph, his replacement, Dean Elgar, did worse; but unfortunately for him, when JP Duminy comes back, Rudolph will go, as, unlike Rudolph, Faf du Plessis is going to keep his place in the side.

0.5 - Rory Kleinveldt (4 wickets at 60.75, 1 catch) - He had one of the worst bowling debuts ever seen and then, after Philander pulled out on the morning of the second test, earned a surprise second test! He did slightly better but was still hopeless and surely will never play for South Africa again. He really looked out of his depth.

0.5 - Ricky Ponting (32 runs at 6.40) - He had his worst ever series at home, in spite of being in the form of his life domestically, and, along with Quiney's hopeless form and the inconsistency of the openers, left far too much to do for Clarke and Hussey and the tail. He retired at the right time, but perhaps should have retired after Matthew Hayden retired some 4 years earlier, as since then Ponting's heart hasn't been in the game.

0 - Rob Quiney (9 runs at 3.00) - Apparently his 9 off 10 balls in the first test was a "good 9". Nonsense. He was out trying to hit a 6 when the team was already in trouble after an early wicket. He did take a couple of good catches, but followed up his poor judgement in the first test with some outright terrible batting and, fingers crossed, will never play international cricket for Australia again. A poor choice to start with, there was no justification to keep him for the second test, and now, hopefully, that will be it.

0 - Imran Tahir (0 wickets, 260 runs) - It is rare that 2 players get a score of 0, but such was the difference between good and bad players in this series that we had this. Imran Tahir scored more runs than Quiney but nonetheless he was there as a bowler and he now owns the record for most runs conceded in a test without taking a wicket. Oh dear.

0 - Dean Elgar (0 runs at 0.00) - He had the perfect debut - in reverse - getting out for 0 in both innings - as did Rob Quiney - though at least Quiney had managed 9 runs in the previous match. You don't get much worse than this. Elgar was also supposed to be an all-rounder but didn't manage a wicket, and he capped off a trio of hopelessness, along with Quiney and Tahir, to highlight that this was the test series that selectors got wrong.

N/A - J P Duminy (did not bat, did not bowl, did not field) - He actually played in the first test, which, despite his returns, did not wash out and was not abandoned. JP Duminy was fit and healthy heading into the second day, after South Africa were still batting at the end of the day, but then injured himself during post-game practice! Oh dear! He couldn't bat, or bowl, and turned South Africa from a winning position to one where they were lucky to escape with a draw. Unlucky perhaps, but perhaps they should be more careful about how they are practising!

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Ricky Ponting Farewell in Pictures

By Meg Anderson

PERTH, Australia (TheSportsNEXT) December 3, 2012: A tearful but upright Ricky Ponting, the legendary Australian batsman, left the WACA Ground in Perth on Monday for one final time as he put an end to a celebrated test career spanning over 17 years.

The cricket fans all across the globe will miss the pull shots, hook shots, drives on the up, flicks to the leg side, short-arm jabs, and fierce cuts for the rest of their lives as the Australia’s most successful skipper has called it quits on Test career.

Ricky Ponting was always a treat to watch for any cricket fan and he made huge amount of runs for Australia as he is only second to Sachin Tendulkar in the list of all-time top scoring batsman in Test cricket.

A career that spanned over 168 Test matches saw Australia ruled the cricketing world for a long time and with such class and authority that teams felt cold in the spine while touring Australia.

Ponting, also known as Punter, was not only a great batsman but was also a superb captain who knew his field positions, abilities to use the right bowler at the right time and the right batsman in the crunch time, a quality not very common with most of the skippers around.

Ricky Ponting had that aggression in his style that made him launch counterattacks when the chips were down for Australia and he was able to shine among the likes of Mathew Hayden, Justin Langer, Steve Waugh, Stuart Law, Mark Waugh, Mark Taylor, Mike Hussey, Damien Martin, Adam Gilchrist, and so many others and seldom lost his place in the playing eleven.

It was a consistent cricket career which had Ricky Ponting bashing all the top bowlers in the world on all parts of the grounds around the world and it took him 17 years to lose his touch.

We all would have loved to see Ricky Ponting retire on a winning note but it wasn’t to be as he couldn’t deliver it with the bat towards the very end of his career.

Only two fours all he could manage in his final innings which lasted for 23 deliveries but that culminated a Test career which has 41 centuries, only third to Sachin Tendulkar with 51 and Jacques Kallis with 44.

Ricky Ponting, after retiring showed great respect for other top cricketers in his era. Especially he paid huge tributes to Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar when he said, "I felt Sachin was probably the best player I played against and that's coming from more of a captain's point of view knowing he had so much success against us in our conditions and their conditions”.

Punter didn’t forget to mention Brian Charles Lara on final day of his Test career. He said, "I probably lost more sleep on the eve of games to (Brian) Lara because I knew that he could single-handedly win games for his team. It's hard to separate the class of players those two guys, you have got to put Kallis in that bracket as well when you put his wickets on top of what he's done with the bat as well."

Fans may have some regrets not to find Ricky Ponting ending his career with a fighting century or a victory but the former Aussie skipper said he has no regrets. “(I have) no regrets. I'll stand by every decision I've made on or off the field. Honestly, looking back, I don't think I'd change too much. I'll miss the mateship. I'll miss the dressing room. That's the stuff you can't replace."

Enjoy the Ricky Ponting Farewell in Pictures

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