Biography of Ricky Ponting :- Ricky Ponting is a former International cricket from Australia, born on December 19, 1974, in Tasmania, Ponting went on to become one of the finest cricketers in International cricket. He was the most successful captain in the history of International cricket.
Ponting’s greatness shone with time, he ended his International career with wins just like he started it. In 2009-10 season, Ricky Ponting became the most successful captain in test history getting ahead of Australian captain Steve Waugh, he also became the most successful test player in win ratio.
Under Ponting’s captaincy, Australia won 26 World Cup games in a row, a record that’s unimaginable for any test team. After the ICC World Cup 2011, Ponting decided to step down from captaincy as Australia’s streak of World Cup wins came to an end losing in the quarterfinals.
Biography of Ricky Ponting
- Born:- 19 December 1974 (age 42), Launceston, Australia
- Height:- 1.78 m
- Test Debut:- 8 December 1995 v Sri Lanka
- Spouse:- Rianna Jennifer Cantor (m. 2002)
- ODI Debut:- 15 February 1995 v South Africa
- Last ODI:- 19 February 2012 v India
There’s no such thing as Ponting’s favorite stroke in International cricket, being a steady player, Ponting played strokes everywhere, attacked and defended, fielded brilliantly, and captain the way never done before him.
Ricky Ponting also holds the world record for the highest century maker for Australia in Test and ODI cricket, only after India’s Sachin Tendulkar overall. Ponting retired from all formats of the game in December 2012 after the conclusion of the test series with South Africa, a jam-packed stadium bade him farewell with a guard of honor from his teammates as well as from opponents.
Right from his teenage, he was the completed batsman and material for becoming one of the greatest captains in history. Ricky Ponting was on top of thelist when it comes to rank the most prominent member of the Australia team in the golden era.
Ponting also became the only batsman to be part of 100 test wins, he won 2 World Cups for Australia as a captain and 3 World Cups as a player. He was named cricketer of the year for his stupendous decade of providing quality cricket to the world.
Basically, from Tasmania, Ricky Ponting made his first-class debut at the age 17 as the youngest player in the Tasmanian team, he was selected for the national squad when he was 20 against Sri Lanka in December 1995.
After retirement, Ricky Ponting joined Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008 in the inaugural season of Indian Premier League.
Ponting is part of the 13000 runs club in Test cricket. He is also involved in most ODI victories as a player. After the conclusion of Caribbean Premier League, Ricky Ponting retired from all forms of cricket.
Ricky Ponting Stats and Records
Ricky Ponting contested in 168 tests and was involved in 100+ test victories being part of the test team as a player and most of the time as captain of the Australian Test team.
Apart from three Ashes defeats, Ricky Ponting batting average was 51.85 in test cricket along with 13,378 runs. It included 41 centuries and 62 fifties, second-highest in test cricket.
Ponting’s top score was 257 against India at MCG in 2003. Ponting was an occasional bowler, he took 5 wickets, and 195 catches on the field.
In 375 ODIs, Ponting scored 13,704 runs with a batting average of 42.03 counting 30 centuries and 82 half-centuries. His top scored remained 164 against South Africa in just 105 balls, it was the same match when Australia scored 434 and lost to South Africa in March 2006.
Overall, in 289 first-class games, Ricky Ponting scored 24,000 runs with a brilliant batting average of 55.90, that involved 82 centuries and 106 fifties. Ricky Ponting’s T20 career was short but impressive, in 48 games, he scored 909 runs with the best score of 98 not out and anoverall average of 22.72.
Domestic Career
Ricky Ponting was impressed by his uncle and great batsman Greg Campbell; he was Ponting’s inspiration in the game. In 1992, Ricky Ponting contested in thefirst-class match for his hometown Tasmania. His early inclusion was his Kookaburra scholarship that was awarded him in 1985-86, thanks to the four back-to-back centuries in the under-13 circuit.
In 1992, Ricky Ponting was part of Tasmania’s under-19 lineups where he scored 350+ runs. At the time of his FC debut in the Sheffield Shield Match in 1992, he started as the middle-order batsman coming at number 4. At that time, Ponting was the strongest teenager batsman as far as his batting technique was concerned, he made back to back centuries in the fastest and most difficult pitches for the batsman.
In the next year in 1993, Ponting was the strongest candidate to join the national team for the England tour in 1993. In the last moments, Ricky Ponting wasn’t selected and waited for 2 years for his debut in International cricket.
After retirement, Ponting continued playing for Tasmania and English County seasons. After retirement from all forms of International cricket, Ricky Ponting aimed at league cricket and contested in Sheffield Shield to retain the form.
He averaged 76 throughout the tournament and was named Sheffield Shield player of the year. Ricky Ponting was also part of Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, he later captained Mumbai Indians in the 2013 season of IPL.
He retired from all forms of thegame including league cricket in 2013. In 2013 summer season, Ricky Ponting played for Surrey Club and scored 192 on his debut.
International Career of Ricky Ponting
He was selected for New Zealand tour in 1995 and played the whole tour and then against South Africa and India. He was contained at number 6 position that was quite awkward for him to adjust in the lower middle order. He was the one that needed to improve his batting style before starting to bash.
He was soon promoted to top order and later fitted permanently to number 4. In the next season in 1995-96, Tasmania had a great season with Ponting building his batting profile gradually.
In the 1996 Cricket World Cup, Ponting was allotted number 3 position for the tournament. For the first two matches, Ponting was going rough with his form, then came back as a centurion, youngest in a World Cup match against the West Indies.
Ponting scored a couple of the 40s in the semifinal and final game losing to Sri Lanka in the final match. After Boon’s retirement, Ricky Ponting was the only candidate to fill in the one-down position in test and ODIs. In 1997 Ashes in England, Ponting wasn’t considered for the first three games.
After his inclusion, Ponting scored a century and ended the Ashes series with a batting average of 48.20. his first century at home was against New Zealand in 1997-98 season. In 1998, Ricky Ponting had his best season in One Day Internationals, his average remained 57.75 in the season.
In 1999 World Cup in England, the start wasn’t good enough. Pakistan and then New Zealand defeated Aussies in the group stages. After the defeats, the undefeated World Cup streak began with a victory over Bangladesh.
After a nail-biting encounter with South Africa, Australia qualified for the finals and then never lost a single game in the next three World Cups.
After the World Cup 1999, Australia toured Sri Lanka at an average 84.33 ending all-time high in the Sri Lankan tour. He was good enough to prove his worth on the Australian soil.
In Ashes series 2001, Ponting scored with poor form against England. his first big score was 144 that was a bit dramatic. His series was good in the latter part of the Ashes series batting at number 3. In 2002, Ricky Ponting was appointed ODI captain for Australia.
Cricket Australia was confident enough to select Ponting as their successful product for the next decade. After being named as the ODI captain, Ponting’s form inclined towards the success in the coming series against South Africa and then in the ICC World Cup 2003.
Just before the World Cup 2003 in Ashes 2002-03, Ricky Ponting made four centuries in the last five tests, he concluded the Ashes with an overall average of 52.12 in the Ashes series.
In ICC World Cup 2003, Australia was the weakest team of all as their primary weapons weren’t available, Ricky Ponting was given a disabled attack in the absence of Shane Watson, Michael Bevan, Lehmann, and Shane Warne.
The out of form Andrew Symonds clicked in batting and bowling and won a couple of games for Australia that created a needed momentum for the next games. Ponting was going great as a captain but not so good as a batsman. Still, he guided Australia to another World Cup and remained undefeated in the tournament.
In the final game of the World Cup, Australia faces India, Ponting proved his worth by crushing Indian bowling lineup once again in the tournament and posted 140 runs with the bat carrying it till the last ball. They won comfortably against India as they did in the previous finals against Pakistan in 1999.
In the same year, Ricky Ponting also became the highest run scorer of all times for Australia, he amassed three double centuries alone in 2003.
Two of them were back-to-back against India, and the third one was against West Indies later that year. In 2004, Ricky Ponting was made test captain of Australia.
It started well with a comprehensive clean sweep against Sri Lanka, and then against New Zealand, the 2005 Ashes loss was remembered for several years as Australia lost the series for the first time since 1986-87.
In the 2005-06 season, Ponting won the test series against South Africa and West Indies whitewashing the opponents. In his 100th test match, Ponting scored two centuries in two innings becoming the first batsman in Test history to do so. In the next season in 2006, Ricky Ponting won Champions Trophy for the first time held in India.
In 2007, it was just another great year for Cricket Australia, the one that is rejoiced for its dominance in those years. Australia won the ICC World Cup 2007 third time in a row winning all the matches of the tournament.
Ricky Ponting was having a prolific form in the World Cup 2007 as he started the campaign with a century followed by 91 runs. In the second match, he also completed 10,000 ODI runs becoming only the seventh cricketer to achieve the feat.
Ponting was run out in the super eight and did not receive a chance to play in the semifinals. Australia won the World Cup 2007 defeating Sri Lankans.
After the 2007 World Cup, Ricky Ponting also completed 10,000 test runs, he was the third man in the baggy green to do so. In 2009, Australia lost again the Ashes 2009, Ponting completed his 11,000 runs in the same series becoming the fourth International cricketer to do so.
However, Australia lost the Ashes 2-1. In Ashes 2011, Australia lost for the third time in a row, few controversies happened during the series that only defined the frustration level of the Aussies.
In ICC World Cup 2011, Ricky Ponting again captained Australia hoping to retain the title but lost in the Quarterfinal match against India in which he scored a century. It was his last ODI game and final century as a captain. In November 2012, Ricky Ponting retired from Test cricket.
Ricky Ponting Family and Personal Life
Ricky Ponting is eldest of his four siblings; he was a good player of football and baseball apart from cricket. Greg Campbell was Ricky Ponting’s uncle and his inspiration to initiate a career in cricket.
Ricky Ponting married Rianna Jennifer Cantor in 2002, both were in a long-term relationship before deciding to get married. Ricky Ponting wife is a lawyer by profession, they have three kids, a son, and two daughters.
Emmy Charlotte is eldest, born 2008. The second daughter Matisse Elitte was born in 2011, Fletcher William, the only son, was born in September 2014. Ricky spends most of his retirement time with family.
Autobiography of Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting has written several books and columns relating his experiences and records. The official autobiography of Ricky Ponting named “Ponting: At the Close of Play” was published in November 2013 after his announcement to retire from all forms of the game.
