END OF THE PONTING ERA…

As any ardent fan of cricket must now be aware, Ricky Ponting has finally called it quits. Ponting’s retirement is bound to have its consequences on an Australian team that has not yet passed the restructuring phase, following the retirements of other greats such as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden. They are undoubtedly beginning to find their way but are yet to reposition themselves atop the cricketing ladder as the most feared and successful side in world cricket.

Ponting’s retirement, though expected, was rather quite abrupt. Perhaps, a string of failures with the bat was the main motivating factor. Somehow, the Ponting of the last couple of years was not the Ponting of the old. Ask anybody who has closely followed his career and they would tell you that the first thing that came to their mind was his style. Perhaps the greatest Australian batsman since Sir Don Bradman, Ponting’s batting was a treat to the eyes. Always actively moving about in the field, he was oozing with elegance and class. By the tender age of 17, he was easily the best player in his country. And add to that he was an excellent fielder. That is one aspect of his game that has largely gone unnoticed. When people saw Ponting, the batsman, they often tended to forget as to just how great a fielder he was. His athleticism was beyond what words can describe which made it almost impossible for batsmen to get their drives past him in the covers area. He had a safe pair of hands which also made him a reliable veteran in the slip cordon. But, that is not all. Ponting’s aim was top-class. He could hit the bull’s eye with just one stump in sight from almost any corner of the ground. No cricketer in history has been able to disturb the woodwork with a direct throw as often as Ponting. He forced batsmen to think numerous times before even stepping out of the crease to take a run with his sheer brilliance on the field.

If Ponting tasted success as a batsman, his success as a captain was no less. Here’s a look at Ponting’s captaincy record in all formats of the game –

·       Most victories as ODI captain: 162

·       Most victories as Test captain: 48

·       Highest victory rate as ODI captain (minimum requirement – 20 matches): 75.74%

·       Most World Cup wins as captain: 2 (shared with Clive Lloyd)

·       Most consecutive Test victories as captain: 16 (shared with Steve Waugh)

·       Undefeated as captain in World Cups: 25

Ponting’s journey as captain, however, wasn’t as rosy as his record suggests, with several people questioning his position and labelling him a poor leader. Not many had faith in his leadership abilities in spite of the results that he produced on a consistent basis. What was perhaps even more unfortunate was that Ponting did not enjoy the support of his own countrymen. Former Australian batting great Ian Chappell called Ponting a disaster as captain. People have also called him overly aggressive and extremely snobbish at times and deemed him unfit to lead the Australian side. Additionally, Ponting, much like many of his team-mates, was not considered to be a great sportsman. After a controversial Test match against India in the Sydney Cricket Ground in January, 2008, that saw some of the ugliest incidents on a cricket field, people questioned his integrity and demanded that he step down as captain. Along with poor umpiring, Australia cheated to win the Test, showing absolutely no sportsman spirit whatsoever, with Ponting being blamed for adding significantly to the mess.

However, all said and done, Ponting still stood tall as Australian captain and continued tasting success in all formats of the game. He did, by way of his controversial demeanour, bring along a ton of critics. But, love him or hate him, there is no denying his greatness out there in the middle. Ponting brought a rock-like solidity to the crease that will never be seen again in Australian cricket. His presence in the middle served as a boost for the rest of the line-up to perform better. Ponting was a nightmare for even the greatest of bowlers and is widely known as the one of the most unforgiving batsmen of the modern era. To top it all, he was a team man who always played for his country. Ricky Ponting was a proud man who carried the true Australian spirit with him, wherever he went. His retirement from international cricket might have come as a relief for bowlers across the world, but for Australia sans Ponting, the going is certainly bound to be tough.