Ricky Ponting: wiki | Biography | Centuries | Retirement news
Ricky Ponting: wiki | Biography | Centuries | Retirement news
Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974 in Launceston, Tasmania), nicknamed Punter, is the current captain of the Australian cricket team, Ricky Ponting News, Ricky Ponting Biography, Ricky Ponting Centuries, Ricky Ponting Retirement news
Ricky Ponting
Full name Ricky Thomas Ponting
Born 19 December 1974 (1974-12-19) (age 35)
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Nickname Punter
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Batting style Right-hand
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Right arm off break
Role Batsman, Australian Test and ODI captain
International information
National side Australia
Test debut (cap 366) 8 December 1995 v Sri Lanka
Last Test 13 July 2010 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 123) 15 February 1995 v South Africa
Last ODI 23 June 2010 v England
ODI shirt no. 14
Domestic team information
Years Team
1992 – Tasmania
2004 Somerset
2008 Kolkata Knight Riders
Career statistics
Competition Test ODIs FC List A
Matches 145 351 245 421
Runs scored 11,954 13,072 20,801 15,388
Batting average 54.83 42.85 57.46 42.50
100s/50s 39/51 29/79 73/89 33/94
Top score 257 164 257 164
Balls bowled 539 150 1,434 349
Wickets 5 3 14 8
Bowling average 48.40 34.66 54.85 33.62
5 wickets in innings 0 0 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling 1/0 1/12 2/10 3/34
Catches/stumpings 172/– 152/– 261/– 184/–
Ricky Ponting Biography
Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974 in Launceston, Tasmania), nicknamed Punter, is the current captain of the Australian cricket team. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very occasional bowler. He is regarded as one of Australia’s finest cricketers in the modern era. He represents the Tasmanian Tigers in Australian domestic cricket and played in the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008.
Ponting made his first-class debut for Tasmania in November 1992, when just 17 years and 337 days old, becoming the youngest Tasmanian to play in a Sheffield Shield match. However, he had to wait until 1995 before making his One Day International (ODI) debut, during a quadrangular tournament in New Zealand in a match against South Africa. His Test debut followed shortly after, when selected for the first Test of the 1995 home series against Sri Lanka in Perth, in which he scored 96. He lost his place in the national team several times in the period before early-1999, due to lack of form and discipline, before becoming One Day International captain in early-2002 and Test captain in early-2004.
After being involved in over 140 Tests and 350 ODIs, Ponting is Australia’s leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket, with more than 25,000 international runs as of July 2010. He has scored 39 Test centuries—behind only Indian Sachin Tendulkar and third for most runs in ODIs behind Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya.
Ricky Ponting Early life
Born in Launceston, Tasmania on 19 December 1974, Ricky Ponting is the eldest of Graeme and Lorraine Ponting’s four children. Graeme was “a good club cricketer” and played Australian rules, while Lorraine was a state vigoro champion.His uncle Greg Campbell played cricket for Australia in 1989 and 1990. Ponting’s parents first lived in Prospect 4.1 km (2.5 mi) south of city centre; however, they moved into the working-class area of Newnham, 6 km (3.7 mi) north of central Launceston.
After marrying long-time girlfriend—law student Rianna Jennifer Cantor—in June 2002, Ponting credited her as the reason for his increased maturity. Their daughter Emmy Charlotte was born in Sydney on 26 July 2008
After scoring 114 not out in club match against Riverside, Ponting became the youngest player to appear for Tasmania in a Sheffield Shield match, breaking Boon’s record by 14 days.[18] In November 1992, with Ponting just 17 years and 337 days, he strode out to the crease at number four against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Despite scoring 56 in a 127-run partnership with Boon, he could not prevent a defeat, scoring just four in Tasmania’s second innings. In his first match in Tasmania, this time against New South Wales, Ponting contributed 32 and 18 in a draw. He followed this up with 25 against Western Australia in a narrow loss. His first match in Sydney also marked the debut of future Australian opening bowler Glenn McGrath. His subsequent century also meant that Ponting became the youngest Tasmanian to score a first-class century at 18 years and 40 days, eclipsing Boon’s record of 19 years and 356 days.[20] After scoring another half century, Ponting scored back to back centuries against Western Australia on Australia’s fastest wicket in Perth.He become the youngest batsmen in Shield history to score twin centuries in a match. After setting a goal of scoring 500 runs in the season, he ended up scoring 781 at 48.81. After season’s end, Ponting played seven four-day games for the Australian Academy, scoring 484 runs at 96.70, even though he was still only 18
Speculation ignited that Ponting was an outsider to join the Australian squad on their 1993 tour to England. Despite Ponting’s reluctance to weigh into the debate, Tasmanian coach Greg Shipperd though he could handle the experience.The selectors ended up choosing Western Australian batsman Damien Martyn for the tour, with Ponting selected in the Academy squad captained by Justin Langer, which toured India and Sri Lanka for seven games in August–September 1993. Australian success was limited, with only several wins. No batsman scored a century, despite Ponting reaching 99 not out in a one-day game in Colombo. He finished the tour second highest in the aggregates, behind Langer. Before the start of the 1993–94 Sheffield Shield season, Ponting stated that he wanted to score 1000 runs for the season.In Tasmania’s final match of the season, they needed to defeat South Australia outright to qualify for the final. Set 366 in 102 overs, Ponting scored 161 in a 290-run partnership that ended with Tasmania needing just 41 runs for victory. Despite Tasmania losing four quick wickets, they won with four wickets in hand.Disappointingly for Ponting, he could not repeat the performance in the final against New South Wales, scoring just one and 28, as Tasmania were defeated by an innings and 61 runs.The season saw Ponting score 965 runs at 48.25, close to his 1000 run goal.
A month after the final, he was again selected for the Academy squad for three limited overs matches against a touring Indian team. Queenslander Stuart Law captained the Australian side that included former Australian keeper Rod Marsh. In Australia’s victory in Canberra he top scored with 71 and before scoring 52 in victory in Sydney. The last match was also successful for the home team, with Ponting not required to bat.
Ponting started his 1994–95 campaign with a century against eventual Shield champions Queensland in Brisbane, impressing Queensland captain Allan Border, “He’s just an outstanding prospect,” Border said. Speculation once again arose that Ponting could become a candidate for upcoming tour to the West Indies. When Tasmania played Western Australia at Bellerive Oval on November 4, 1994, Ponting scored 211. The century was his fifth successive against Western Australia-Sir Donald Bradman is the only other batsman to score five consecutive centuries against another state in Shield history.Ten days after the double century, Ponting was named in the Australian XI to take on England at Bellerive Oval—in a match that was used as practice before the upcoming series in the West Indies. Future Australian representatives Matthew Hayden, Langer, Greg Blewett and Martyn were also selected. In a drawn match Ponting compiled a half-century
Ricky Ponting First World Cup success (1999)
Australia started their 1999 World Cup campaign in England with success against minnows Scotland, before defeats to Pakistan and New Zealand.[85] Ponting scored, 33, 47 and 47 respectively.After the twin defeats, pundits doubted whether Australia could make the semi-finals let alone win the tournament.Australia then defeated Bangladesh with 30 overs to spare, as Ponting batted out of his usual number three spot for the only time in the tournament. In an attempt to increase the run-rate with pinch hitter Brendon Julian, Ponting scored an unbeaten 18 from 10 balls at number four.[86] Ponting scored 20, 23 and 36 in the following matches against the West Indies, India and Zimbabwe. In the last match of the Super Six stage of the tournament, Australia were to play South Africa in a match they needed to win to make the semi-finals. South Africa batted first and scored 271, before Australia slumped to 3/48. Steve Waugh joined Ponting in the middle and scored 22 runs in ten overs. Both then agreed increase the scoring in a mid-pitch conversation. South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis could not bowl because of strained abdominal muscles and the batting pair attacked the replacement bowlers, scoring 82 from 10 overs. They were involved in a 126-run stand until Ponting fell for 69 scored in 110 balls, including five fours and two sixes. Waugh went onto make 120 off 110 deliveries, helping Australia win with two balls to spare. The sides met again in their next match, this time in the semi-final at Edgbaston on 17 June 1999. Australia only managed 213, with Ponting contributing a solid 37 from 48 balls. In reply, South Africa started strongly, talking 45 from the first nine overs without the loss of a wicket. However, Warne dismissed Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten before long and eventually took 4/29 from 10 overs. The last over started with the Africans needing eight runs with one wicket in hand. Lower-order hitter, Lance Klusener, proceeded to score those runs in the next two balls. Drama followed, as Donald was run-out two balls later, resulting in a tie. Australia qualified for the final because they finished higher than their opposition on the Super Six table. They comfortably accounted for Pakistan in the final, winning by eight wickets, after they were set a target of 132. Ponting scored 24 in Australia’s first World Cup win since 1987.He ended the tournament with 354 runs at 39.33.
Australia soon travelled to Sri Lanka for a three-Test series, which they lost 1–0. Ponting was one of Australia’s few effective players during the tour and was Man-of-the-Series, ending with 253 runs at 84.33.[50] In the First Test defeat at Kandy, Ponting scored 96 and 51, almost half of Australia’s match total of 328 runs. They lost the match match by six wickets, partly due to being unable to handle the spin of Muralitharan who too eight wickets. The Second Test was severely interrupted by rain and Ponting scored just one in his only innings. He scored 105 not out in the Third Test in Colombo, his only Test century in Sri Lanka. Despite having a perceived weakness against spin, Ponting played Muralitharan the best out of all the Australian batsmen.[88] He scored 31 as Australia won their inaugural Test against Zimbabwe by nine wickets. In the following ODI series between the respective countries, Ponting scored 288 runs at 57.60 with two fifties.
Ricky Ponting 2004–2008: Appointment as Test captain
Main articles: 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, New Zealand cricket team in Australia in 2004–05, and Pakistani cricket team in Australia in 2004–05
Middle-aged man around 30 wearing a baggy green cap with the Australian coat of arms, Australian blazer, green with yellow stripes, and a cream cricket shirt. He is clean shaven and has brown hair.
After Steve Waugh’s (pictured) retirement at the beginning of 2004 following the drawn home series against India, Ponting assumed the Test captaincy.
Ricky Ponting was destined to lead his country — I couldn’t have handed Australian cricket’s ultimate individual honour to a more capable and deserving man. A leader must earn respect and lead from the front, and on both of these counts Punter has undoubtedly excelled. When the one-day leadership duties were passed over to Ricky in South Africa, my main piece of advice to him was, ‘Make sure you take care of your own game and maintain your form, because everything else will follow from that.’ Since assuming the mantle, Punter has shown himself to be among the top three batsmen in the world in both forms of the game, and has elevated his hunger and desire for runs to a level most can only aspire to.
—Steve Waugh writing about Ponting replacing him as Australian captain
Ponting started with a 3–0 clean sweep of the Test series in Sri Lanka. Ponting brought Symonds into the Test team on the back of strong ODI form, rather than first-class cricket, replacing Simon Katich, who had scored a century and unbeaten fifty in the last Test. However, this backfired and Symonds was dropped after two Tests. Nevertheless, it was a far cry from Australia’s last two Test campaigns in Sri Lanka, which had resulted in a 1–0 and 0–1 results respectively. Individually though, Ponting struggled, especially in comparison to his efforts in 1999. He scored 198 runs at 33.00, his only effort beyond 30 being 92 in the first innings of the Third Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo.
Australia hosted Sri Lanka for two Tests during the winter, in the tropical north. Ponting missed the victory in the First Test in Darwin due to a family bereavement, and scored 22 and 45 as the Second Test in Cairns was drawn.
Despite their success at World Cups, Australia continued their failure to win the ICC Champions Trophy. They were knocked out by hosts England in the semifinals in 2004.
After missing most of the tour of India due to injury, Ponting returned for the Fourth Test. By this time, Australia had taken an unassailable 2–0 series lead, his deputy Gilchrist leading the tourists to their first Test series win in India since 1969–70. Leading spinner Shane Warne injured himself on the eve of the match, which was played on a very dry pitch at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Off spinner Nathan Hauritz and leg spinner Cameron White, who were not regular wicket-takers in domestic cricket, were surprise selections ahead of Stuart MacGill for the tour. The reasoning given by the selectors was that as they intended to play only one spinner—Warne—MacGill was unlikely to play so they would not lose anything by taking some young spinners instead, in order to gain experience. However, it was too late for MacGill to be flown in, and Hauritz played and took 5/103, while India’s. Ponting made 11 and 12 and Australia lost a low-scoring match in less than two days’ equivalent playing time. Ponting was very vocal in criticising the playing surface after the match.
Tags : Nick Richardson (2002). Ricky Ponting. Legend Books. ISBN 1-877096-13-X., Ricky Ponting; Peter Staples (1998) Ricky Ponting. Ironbark Press. ISBN 0-330-36117-1, Piesse, Ken (1999). The Taylor Years: Australian cricket 1994–99. Penguin Books Australia. ISBN 0-670-88829-X, Ricky Ponting News, Ricky Ponting Biography, Ricky Ponting Centuries, Ricky Ponting Retirement news.
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