Beautiful article Mr. Hinds and a fitting tribute to a great, champion batsman. Its a tragedy, no less, that such a great career is ending like this. The list of Ponting's achievements is staggering to say the least. He was easily the best batsman in the world between 2003-2007, led his team to victories against every side in the world in every country (except England) and two unbeaten world cups.

Sadly, he'll be remembered largely for the failures in the twilight of his career and not the singularly distinguished career that preceeded it.

Ponting should retire from ODI's, but stay on for tests. But not as captain of anything. He needs to eliminate risk from his game, like he did in the hundred against India, and make loads of Test runs for Aus. Aus will have the next World Cup at home to give India their just desserts.

Ponting is indeed a true hero. There are not many in world cricket who can claim to achieve everything he has, as a captain and a player. When it all finishes, he will be remembered for having played the game hard. All the best Punter.

he is a real champion .....but probably his team doese'nt supported him when mattered....not fourth time luckey!!!

Ponting is a real fighter, a really brave man at heart and hats off to him for the innings under immense pressure...

I beg to defer, Ponting is at best a good batsman, not great. Most of his career he has not had to play under pressure like Sachin, Inzamam-ul-Haq or for that matter even Steve Waugh. His glory days were when he was part of one of the best cricket teams any country has seen. Once the members of that team retired his record speaks for itself. Otherwise he would still have played equally well in the last couple of years.

It is only when you play and prove yourself under pressure that a player becomes great. I agree that he is a good player but great he is not.

Mr. Hinds, you write:
"He seemed like the only batsman who truly cared what this game meant".
Very true, in the sense that other middle-order batsmen did not support him enough to get Australia to a formidable total (280+). Instead, Australia managed only 260, with only three out of seven batsmen making significant contributions. Nevertheless, Ponting played a great innings and was the lone champion in an average team (Brett Lee came close). One hopes that Ponting plays on in test cricket for some more time. Australian selectors must show him some respect.

I agree with ashok about pontings achievements being staggering two world cups beaten every side home and away(except england) in test cricket incredible! Certainly the best batsman after don bradman produced by australia. Austrlians are pathetic by the criticism hurled on ponting. They just did not had the team to win this time around. A shaky middle order,top-order batsmen who give starts and don't carry on ,and most importantly no Glenn Mcgrath and Shane Warne!!

Like all good things come to an end at point, Ponting's reign as Captain of Aus team will end soon during which, he only enhanced the great attributes of Aus cricket, grit, aggressiveness, fearlessness. He will go down as one of the finest Captain and Cricketer Aussies have ever produced until now. I hope he still has couple years left in him to contribute as a player. Also, let's not forget his guiding hand to whoever is going to take over captaincy.

It certainly does mark the end of the era. I hope it also marks the start of a new phase for Ponting the batsman. Renewal is important and perhaps this is the right time to step down from the ODI team. He could probably play on as a batsman, but having past captains in the team is just not something Aussies do.

But that innings was, as was mentioned elsewhere on Cricinfo, a template for how he should play from now on. We all know the imperiousness with which he dealt with the short ball has deserted him. And I for one am going to miss THAT pull-shot. Better than a Hayden straight drive or a Steve Waugh cut, it was the shot that visibly demonstrated the team's dominance. But just as Tendulkar shelved the cover drive, and Steve Waugh the hook, putting away the pull shot doesn't mean he can't score runs.

Form is temporary; class is permanent, and Tendulkar aside, Ricky Ponting is the classiest in decades.

India played to their best to win against Aussie's. Pointing must leave capataincy for his own good, to extend his international career and concentrate more on his batting. He is the best when his country needs him and I truely beleive that he has lot to offer for Australia cricket.

Great Australian Cricket Hero and a fitting tribute. He should move away from the Captain role and concentrate on his batting and guide younger players.

Last match was probably last opportunity for us to see two great batsmen of this era showcasing their calibre. Whether Australia won or not I loved pontings determined batting. Hope Australia produces more and more pontings. Orelse cricket would not be that interesting.

He was a punter. He is a Punter. He will remain a Punter. We respect you as a player, as a captain and most importantly as a legend. Our country needs a legend like you in our loved cricket game. You Have been a great servant of Australian Cricket. Best of luck , Punter.

it is amazing that ponting has received so much praise especially from indian fans after his famous defeat. it is no wonder that we know this feeling much better because tendulkar has gone this heart break more often than not. indian fans have found a way to empathise with failures. i think this failure of champion batsman has brought so much empathy towards ponting from indian fans.

I watched Ricky Ponting walk out to play his first test match against Sri Lanka in 1995, and after he was given out with a terrible LBW decision for 96, I made the comment at the time that here was a batsman who was going to be making a lot of runs in Test Cricket, and indeed as we all now know, across all forms of cricket.1 would like to pay tribute to Ricky, for the countless thousands of hours that I have watched him play, and for the immense pleasure that he has given me for 16 years, and whilst the last few years haven't been the best in terms of results, he has had to struggle with selectorial issues as well as lots of players losing form at critical stages of games that were there to be won.

Ricky, you stood head and shoulders over your contempories for most of your playing career, and even now, I believe that you still have a of test runs still left in you, especially if you shed the captaincy role; you can leave the ODI team in No1 position with a century to be remembered.

great player ...best batsman of short pitched deliveries...that too attacking them....

argubly the most tested aussie player ....

Some people think Ponting is all time best captain, looking at the stats, of course he is, but actually he is not. S.Waugh built the side to win 1999 worldcup then he was forced to give-up his team for Ponting to lead. Ponting just lead a side full of match winners created by Steve. Any international cricketer would love to lead a side with Hayden, Gilli, Warne, McGrath, Martin & Symonds,and they would have same success rate. Once all these match winners were gone, he is unable to defend Ashes & Worldcup.

Captancy is what you do to pull your team up when they are down and become victorious, Steve did that. Is there any occation where Ponting did it. NO. Ponting has no place in my all-time best captains.

PONTING IS JUST A GOOD BATSMAN & FEILDER but not a Good captain or a person. He can never be someones hero or an ideal like Sachin, SteveW, Lara, G.Sobbers, VivR, DBradman, A.Donald, J.Rhodes and list goes on. Sorry to say,Ponting is just isn't there in that list.

Everyone is calling for Ricky's head, but do you really think Micheal Clarke will do a better job? We seem to suffer long term memory loss, and forget how poorly Clarke has performed prior to the world cup, and after all, aren't we looking for a successor?

If they decide to hand the reigns over, my pick is Shane Watson. An all rounder who contributes nearly every match, and arguably the most vital asset in the Australian team at present.

Some would say Hussey, but age is against him, and inconsistant form over the last 12 months is also putting him under pressure.

Ponting should drop down to 5 or 6 in the batting order and be given another 12 months captaincy. Cameron White needs to be dropped back to grade cricket, David Hussey needs to make way for young blood and Shaun Tait should never play cricket for Australia again (can't bowl enough overs in a row, and the shit gets wickets theory has gone on too long). Time to revamp the team and give Ricky something to mentor and lead.

ricky pointing....a tragic hero...and a much better one than those mentioned is stories and fairytales.........

Ricky Ponting is the best batsman in the World...Period !
There is no batsman in the world who can deliver the way he delivered in the quarter final.

My comment seems a bit too much, considering Tendulkar's pile of records and centuries, but how many had tendulkar or any other player for that matter had WON it when required.

Ricky Ponting had done it always !! He is a big game's big player, a true match winner.

Why he lost against india ? Well India should be thankful to Tait for delivering those stupid line and length balls and trying to generate pace when not required, he could have bowled straight and AUS would have WON.

Two big overs and they lost the grip !!
Good Luck Australia - Ricky Ponting, Your Pulls and drives would be missed by all the lenses in a stadium for years to come !!

Best wishes and Regards to Ricky Ponting from Pakistan !!!
Mutahir

Punter must now hand over the captaincy to Clark/young blood so that selectors and he can steer the team in new direction with some new blood.

I still believe his form has been affected with burden of captaining a team which is going through massive overhaul. India will soon go through that once Sachin retires. I am pretty sure Punter will be back in form once he hands over the mantle of captaincy to someone else. This is the best he would do to Aussie cricket and cricket in general. His firing innings are still a treat to watch in highlights later on.

All the best to Punter. He played the game hard, as hard as anyone can dream of.

Ponting was just lucky he had a super star bowlers openers, fielders and an unbelievable wicket keeper in Gilchrist. Look what happened when he lost all his trumph cards ??? Ponting is a good player but thats all, he is not a legend of the game and never will be one.

Ponting is a great man and an excellent batsman. However, he cannot be blamed for not winning the WC for the 4th consecutive time. He was given a team that was never going to win the World Cup for Australia.

It's amusing that a lot of talk has been centered around the so called "retirement" of Ricky. The man himself has been saying he wants to play. Now, whether he is still going to captain or not in the future is a different question. But, no one can take away what he has contributed to world cricket in general and Aussie cricket in particular. I myself was never a fan of him, but admired a lot, his work ethic and no nonsense attitude. Along the way, people had called him many things, but they never dared to question him as a batsman. If Sachin can still play, why not Ricky who is relatively better shape? The problem is not Ricky in my opinion, but instead it's the complacency that crept in to Aussie cricket all around. I suspect even if you put the best captain in charge things won't change. When you're at the top of the world for so long, you tend to slack off. A captain is there to lead but there are 10 others who need to perform in their tasks. Otherwise it won't cut it Ricky or not.

Ponting is a great player and leader, the match was lost b'cause of his any fault of his but b'cause of the failure of the entire team. If one more batsman would make 50 or more then the match would be theirs.

nicely written.

Surely Ponting a great player and better captain. I never agreed with some of his activities but he is a fighter and true Australian. I felt he never got good support from others. I feel sorry for him.

Ponting will also need to be remembered for the sydney saga!!!!! But a good innings anyway!!!

Well said. Ponting has nothing to worry about. Every campaign should come to an end. It was West Indies and now it is Australia. He achieved that no other captain did. He should be proud of his achievements and his great team which always remains as history. It is not only Sachin's records that unbreakable in near future it is also Australia's 4 World Cups is also unbreakable as a team record. Good Job Ricky. Just relax now.

Guys, arrogant 'n' determined king can win wars but loses his own people. this is the case of Punter, how great he might be as a batsmen, but for me he displayed the worst sportsmanship the world has ever seen ....... but indeed he was a true legend for many people ...... but 4 me he wil never.....

I am afraid all his greatness as a cricketer is overshadowed by his arrogance, petulance and bad manners.This is very sad and I cannot for the life of me understand why his attitude was not sought to be corrected by his friends and well wishers.

Ponting had to shoulder too much - without a Hayden, Gilchrist or Symonds (who would all still in the top decile of IPL players), this Aussie team was not the same invincible team - they are in a rebuilding phase, much as the team of the mid-80s. Leaving aside his smashing up a TV or his fracas with Steve Smith, he is still a great batsman - if only he had better batsmen around him, he would play more freely - Ponting should be around for some more time.

Yeah, he played the game hard alright, he tried to claim a catch that clearly bounced in front of him during the QF game against India. No wonder, he preferred "the word" of the player against reviews. Ponting is a great batsman but he's also a man who threw tantrums, pressurized umpires (as did Viv Richards), these poor attributes should not be swept under the carpet when recalling his career.

Great article and a great tribute to a champion player who deserves to be remembered for his achievements rather than his failures and the almost daily battering Ponting cops from a petulant Australian media and public is downright shameful.

In some ways I can understand them, having enjoyed 12 years of Australia winning every trophy and every series on offer it was always going to be hard to accept that it had to come to end and when it did Ponting was always going to be in the firing line for criticism. Some of it was warranted but most, especially in the past 4 years since a swag retirements after the 2006 Ashes series have been unfair as Ponting cannot be held responsible for the inconsistencies or form slumps of his teammates.

Call it quits Punter on your own terms. You've got nothing left to prove and your record speaks for itself.

Ponting is the best player and captain I have ever seen in australian team he is the legand of austrlia And the way people are treating him is not fair i think he has done eveything for his team in the world cup they lost because they dont have any hero like warne or mcgrath .ian chappal is realy critising ponthing it seems like he is runing australia cricket Ponting deserves another chance becz what he did no other player can do .and I personally admire ponting well done

The truth is Pakistan beat Aussies in 1999 world cup and they returned to end the winning streak in 2011. The Australian Sandwich.

great batsman... No words to describe him... Few notches above tendulkar in terms of winning matches on own... wish to see more of him....

Lovely article and a fair on Ponting. He has served Australian cricket very well and took over from the good work done by Border and Waugh - but at a time when Australia are looking to build a team he may no longer be the perfect Captain... age will go against him. In building a team you need a strong character, like Ponting, to be around for atleast 5 years.... not many contenders for this spot but lets hope Australia find someone capable as their contribution to global cricket is significant.

Ponting should be remembered for trying to save a dynasty not as a member who is responsible for destroying it. Comparing him to Tendulkar is unfair to Ponting; He leads the australian cricket and all of its hopes manifesed from a wonderful era.

Tendulkar just takes care of his batting while Ponting is trying to carry his teams batting in his shoulders. Both are equally challenging and should not be compared

Ponting a true warrior - I salute u Sir

A true all time great - not sure that we will see the likes of a Ponting again in this day and age of instant gratification. One thing he could have been better at his is on field conduct - he never quite carried himself with the kind of dignity that Sachin has done

Good article there.

Insidehedge: No, he shrugged his shoulders to say he doesn't know so the umpires referred the catch.

I'm from India and I have started admiring Ponting ever since I was a kid some 14 years back. To speak from my mind it is not fair to compare Sachin with Ponting. When Sachin was the captain of Indian cricket team not only his form slumped but his team also slumped. That is entirely different with Ponting. Ponting, after being promoted as captain became one of the most destructive batsman and his batting avg. infact rised after he became Australian captain. Sachin is worried about his batting whereas Ponting will be taking a lot of extra responsibilty and is concerned about managing all aspects ie., batting, bowling and fielding of his team. I want him to continue as captain for both one day side and also test side atleast for 2 more years and I'm sure it will be the beginning of the next golden era of Australian cricket. Last but not the least MANY TEAMS CREATE HISTORY BY WINNING, WHILE ONLY A FEW, SORRY ONLY ONE TEAM CAN CREATE HISTORY BY LOOSING... PROUD TO BE A FAN OF ONE SUCH TEAM

It has been a pleasure for world cricket fraternity to have an outstanding player like Ricky.......he is a perfect ambassador of world cricket.....his achievements are no way any lesser than he deserves. He is a born champion who believes in himself and has excellent leadership qualities.
However, as the veterans like Haydos, Gilly & Pidge retired, this Australian team was far to hold its glory.

Somewhere it had to end, and it ended in style.

No matter, Ricky is a great gift to this World Cup. Take a bow Ricky.

Ponting must continue to play one-day cricket but must relinquish captaincy. His century in the quarter final clearly showed that he was ready for a long haul and transform his batting style as the dreaded age catches up with him. His hunger for runs is unbelievable and so is his urge to win. Australia cannot afford to lose him in the one-day side. I hope the Aussies don't get too emotional in making Ponting a scape goat for the larger issues in Australian cricket.

Ponting proved today he is a hero. It's ironic that Ponting and Lee, the 2 champion players from 2003 were the only two who fought supremely for Australia. The rest seemed so.. inept! I hope Australia learns from these guys and gives them a warm send off as they prepare for a future with no real hero on the horizon. I wonder how many of this team will return in 2015. I can't imagine many.

Ponting at his very best was still behind Sachin and Lara, and can never measure upto those standards.He also epitomises the saying the captain is as good as his team,he was brilliant with all those greats earlier and now reduced to mediocre with this set of team.His behaviour on and off the field left a lot of sour taste for many and many brickbats for him.

if u give me a team which comprises the likes of gilchrist,hayden ,warne,mcgrath,symonds,lee even i can also win matches more than wat ponting did in his career.but sachin is not like that.he played against all bowlers from holding to tait.still he is scoring runs.every time he enters the arena ,he is bearing the expectation of billion.he is the greatest batsmen.sachin scored lot of test centuries in australia against their top class bowling attack.but ponting has scored only one test century i n india even against a weaker bowling side.is the word "great player" suitable to ponting?

He is and will be the best no 3 bastmen in the world. The amount of runs he has scored in the past decade truly justifies his greatness. Feel sad for him. If at all this his last match as captian and player he deserves a better farewell. Well played Mate!!

He is and will be the best no 3 bastmen in the world. The amount of runs he has scored in the past decade truly justifies his greatness. Feel sad for him. If at all this his last match as captian and player he deserves a better farewell. Well played Mate!!

He the Best ODI player ,because he is the real match winner,his record of more than 250 victory as player and 164 victory as a captain spokes for it self.2 world trophies in his hand ,salute to punter.

He is the best and i think he be captain for next 2 years specially the ashes2013 in england he take the revenge for the last 2 ashes defeat he deserved that

Ponting is a real champ, always my hero but for QF he becmae Sachin for Aussies , when Sachin score 100 means India lost.

ponting is a very good batsman an a fielder,tats it!..he nvr had 2play under tremendous pressure and scrutiny of 2billion ppl like sachin or for tat matter lara,and his captaincy is not tat great...he used to win matches cos they had match winners..everyone knew wat was expected of them..now te new aus cricketers r spineless,and for past 3yrs u cud c ponting gettin his tactics wrong on field as captain on consistent basis.he failed in his captaincy once all te big players retired.on field he was a fierce competitor,good batsman and best fielder.,tat said,he was never a gentleman cricketer.his pub brawl in calcutta wher he was thrown out by bouncers,te famous aussie sydney test wher he and his fellow teammates acted lik bunch of mad dogs,no sportsmanship watsoever...just cos he said some nice words @ end of his last world cup match doesnt make him a goodguy...his bad deeds will not b forgotten nor forgiven..nevertheless,a good bats man and a good fielder is abuot to retire..and tats abt it...!..

Ponting achieved everything in his career. But he was unaware of the taste of losing after brilliant knocks as his team was grt, a sour taste sachin has got most of his career. Now we can realize that its not about grt individuals but about grt team to win WCs.

The game of cricket has its glorius uncertanities and at the same time is a great leveller. It will show a player the good days and the next it will show him equally bad days. What Ricky is feeling after this game perhaps he may have felt the same after that Adelaide test loss in 2003 to India in which he made 242 and a duck. Sachin, Lara, Gavaskar, S Waugh, Border, Richards and even Bradman had to see such results after scoring 100. Bowlers like Srinath and Maninder had to see same results after taking 10 wickets. What is important that a player always keeps his feet on ground,shows good onfield behavior and remains grateful to his team mates. Hayden, Langer, S Waugh, Gilchrist, Warne, Gillespie, Lee and McGrath all played their role earlier to ensure that Ricky's 100 guarantees an Aus win. GR Vishwanath-India will always remember you for ur 100's in Melbourne test win of 1981 and Port of Spain test win of 1976. India never lost the test match in which Vishy or SC Ganguly scored a 100

Champion batsman played for champion team for 12 year. Even great WI did not has that long domination. This was true dominant era.
It will keep on going because australiaizm cannot die, and they will return hard next time.
For ponting, only one thing, he should only play as player not as captain and stay in the team on merit.

Salute to a legend and a legend team. What a champion team it was.

an era has come to an end but what a great cricketer PONTING is he had a team comprising great batsmen, bowlers and greatest wicketkeeper batsman in adam gilchrist. but with not such great around him to rally he did his best in quarterfinals against india. hatsoff to u ricky
goodluck in your life.

Regrettably, too many of us will remember Ponting for the wrong reasons - and at the front of many (Indian ??) minds would be the fact that he did not epitomize the spirit of cricket.

That will always keep him away from being a "great" and largely relegate him to statistical achievements.

The Sydney fiasco nearly repeated with Ponting's (claimed??) catch in Ahmedabad, and taking a position on not walking when out and demonstrating his insecurity in waiting for a review are to my mind poor character traits.

Cricket will loose a good player, and Australia their last legend - but for many of us - frankly no great loss.

Sorry - but that's the brutally honest truth !

I would like to beleive its a new beginning for Australian cricket rather than end of an era. Ponting must be given some more time before being stripped of captaincy. He is the only one in the current Australian team who is capable of rebuilding the team. He had the honour to lead a bunch of talented match winners.He led Shane Warne who could have been the best captain Australia ever produced.Now is the real test for Ponting. The Guy has proved he's got some more cricket left in him. Give him a chance to prove himself before we call him a 'Legend'.He is a gifted player and a true champion.He is the only one who can lift the Australian cricket back to 'glory'.All he need is some support or else years later we may have to read about the glorious past of Australian cricket and live on that as we do about the great Westindies of the yesteryears. Any way its a well written article Hinds.
Regards from India.

This is not the 1st time that Ricky scored a 100 and Aus lost. 2003 ADelaide test where he made 242 in 1st innings but a duck in 2nd innings and Aus lost that test to India. Ricky had also made a 150 in Aus total of 433 in a odi vs SA a couple of years back. Herschelle Gibbs replied with 173 and Boucher ensured that SA win that game. Inability of a batsman's 100 to avoid match loss for his team is not the criteria to judge him as best batsman. Match result is decided by other 10 team member's performances too. GD McGrath had a knack of cheaply getting out toporder of opponent team on any pitch and such bowlers are a rare find. Aus owe a lot to him.

Nicely written article, can't agree with it entirely though. Pointing was an excellent batsman but certainly not in the greats/legends category. Everybody seems to be pointing out that the Aussies lost 'cos Ponting didn't have support from other players. Well, in that case, when he did win, it must've been due to the supportof other players! Everybody seems to be eager to pillory Sachin's achievements, especially Pakistanis, what they forget is that for every "great" Ponting innings there was a McGrath or Warne special spell to back up and snuff the opposition out. Just imagine if Sachin was on the same team as Warne, McGrath and Gilly........His record for wins would have been double that of Ponting's!!
In my book, a GREAT player is not only one who bats/bowls excellently but also is a role model for generations to come! Bradman , Sobers, Lara and Tendulkar are the only Legends of this game! Claim g grassed catches, waiting after nicking a ball clearly ate not traits of GREATS!!

@Faisal

Certainly, it's a new beginning. That is exactly what the end of an era signifies. Australian Cricket isn't doomed.

Very few Cricketers have retired after scoring a century.

Ricky Ponting would go out on his own terms as the greatest of them all if he were to retire from ODI Cricket now, handing over the reins to Michael Clarke for the 3 match ODI Series in Bangladesh.

Clarke acquitted himself admirably as Captain, walloping England 5 -1 in the ODI series that followed the Ashes.

Cameron White was Captain for the 7 th ODI, and won it for Australia, hence I say Pup won 5 -1 as Captain.

Ponting should continue as Test Captain till the end of the 2012 -13 summer, that's after the Sri Lanka, South Africa and India series, before he retires completely from international cricket.

Michael Clarke should take over the Test captaincy TOO after Ponting retires in March 2013,and lead the Test Team to the 2013 Ashes in England.

Ponting should be on the Board as Selector, or as Head of the COE in Brisbane.

Pointing was the greatest among Sachin and Lara, he made Aussies champs which sorry to say Sachin or Lara never, I would rate Ponting way ahead of hype batsman of his era, Aussies will never sit back they will hit you back soon, and you will see many postings like Pakistan after losing Amir and Asif still got Gul and SHoaiib,
I hope he will play for Aussies for another couple of year....

Ricky Ponting was, is and will be the best Australian Player of all time with Don Bradman and Steve waugh. He should continue playing and lead Australia in both forms of game. He is a Master Class player and should continue to contribute for Australian cricket. It is not his fault if they have not been able to win world cup this year, you Cant expect to win every world cup. We are with you Ponting, Keep playing and make world criket proud of you like Scahin and Brian Lara

i must admit he's done enough in his last world cup match to confirm his caliber as a gr8 batsman of this era. losing after scoring a 100 doesn't take away the credit of fighting it hard.
he's a far better batsman than the man who preceded him- steve waugh. punter always faced the music coming at 3 in all conditions, whereas waugh always hid behind the haydens / martyns/ mark waugh/ ponting himself/ and always shielded himself coming at 6. can't compare the 2 as captains since waugh always had the biggest match winners who bailed him out of any & every situation. hat's off, punter.

I think my favorite batsman Ricky Thomas Ponting, must continue his impressive cricket carrier for Australia. He is one of the best batsman in Australia Cricket, if he leaves who will be such good enough to be a better batsman like him, and Capt. too.Cricket is unpredictable you may win/lose so we shouldn't think much about we should just correct our mistakes and do better next time.Most importantly we should never forget Ricky Ponting's serve for Australia Cricket, he held two Worlds Cups along side his tough working team.So I think Ponting must remain in the team.

Good written but unidimensional article. One uncomfortable question "How many great fasr bowlers were at their peak when Ponting was professed to be at his peak i.e. 2003-07 ?". As a batsman he was a poor player of spin and ran away from quality opposition. Remember he did not visit India during 2004 tour for the 1st two tests. Adam was the captain for those two matches. He was at best a good player of fast medium bowling. At the end he was a frankenstien created by week kneed Cricket Australia.
A model Trans Tasman success myth to counter past selectorial flaws. So obsessed they were to protect him that they did little to rein his countless mis behaviours. Drunken brawls during visit Calcutta during 1998, pushing chief guests of the podium, claiming bumped catches. Nothing showcased graceless behaviour better than Ricky Ponting. A strike rate of sub 70 (excepting for the last 15 balls) costed Austalia 25 more runs and the match. Like always put himself before the team...

He will always remain my best player and captain after S.Waugh!
I have only one thing to say Punter...you may not be a people's champ like Sachin or Lara...but u will always be in my heart until I die as the best player!
I am an Indian but more than the Indian Cricket team, I have always liked AUSSIE way of playing cricket since I was a kid..Brett Lee, M.Hussey and Punter are the Best Players in the current Aussie team...hope they dominate World Cricket again! Go Punter...Go Aussie!
Aussie Aussie Aussie...Oi Oi Oi :)

one of the greatest players !! he can be called the sachin of australia !! sad to see him and his team at this state. it was his bad luck that he dint have players such as warne, mcgrath, hayden, gilchrist and symonds at the fag end of his career and specially in this world cup. a captain is as good as his team and if his team aint good its not the fault of a great player !! players like steve smith, clarke, kreza arent the best australia can produce and arent a match to the players they had !!

This is Raja from India, a keen Australian Cricket fan. I have been very closely following Australian Cricket from the time they won the 1999 World cup.

In fact Tugga was a great inspiration for me and after he passed on the baton to Punter have been a great fan of Punter.

Fitting tribute to such a great player. Really was a sad way to go out, but having said that Punter played a great innings, in what maybe his last world cup match.

Hail PUNTER!!!!!

Ponting is the best batsman since Bradman and does not deserve the criticism that he has been given. Aus fans and media are too fickle and it makes me sick to see them treat him the way they have the last few months.

For those who say that he only won when he had other greats, remember back to when he led the team to defeat South Africa in South Africa in 2009.

Ponting you will always be my hero.

Ponting is perhaps the finest batsman of our times, in all forms of the game, for he is one batsman, who has won more games, titles and cups than any other i/n captain. He scored his mighty hundreds when he was surrounded by Greater names like Border, Waugh, Haden, Martin & others, and some times, made them look pedestrian in comparison. Ricky should not retire from any form of the game, as he is the only batsman of class and international stature in the Aussie team. He may give up his captaincy but remain a mentor for the rest of the newcomers.

A well written writeup on Ricky Ponting...
My only concern is that; this innings is one innings late. He was under immense pressure from all ends. He needed to spend time in the middle, and would have benefited had he done it against Canada or Kenya.
I guess, Arrogance overtook prudence; Australia is running out of Ideas. when they are not winning the whining attitude on the field against Raina & the misplaced aggression of Tait need to be bridled.
A point to be realized is that
IPL does not want Ricky, County Cricket does not want him; So why does he think Australia will want him.
When Haydos, Gilli, Pigeon, Warney retired people asked why now; There are a lot of folks who think he is past expiry date

superb!!!

must say sir, you winded past and the presen together.

and also, it was not only ponting who was the only reason for australian exit from the world cup 2011

Salute to Punter. If he wants to continue till Ashes 2013, he has every right to do so. He is fit and will be very capable in 2013. There is no one better than him. Period. Youngsters who have come in, have shown a lot of inconsistencies be it spinners or pacers. Don't let same thing happen to batting by asking Huss and Punter to go. Lee has every right to continue, no one in this world has the courage to bowl 155Ks at 34 years of age after numerous injuries. Such fighters happen once a generation, and dropping them would be stupidity.
A few words to some comments - the ones who say Punter is average at best. Well if he had best team to hide his weaknesses, same goes for Sachin in past 2 years. He is backed up by a new team that has been winning often, so what - is his form a quality of himself or is just because there is no pressure since there are others in team to take care of things. Use same yardstick to measure both Legends or don't compare at all.

I feel too much criticism has been made about Ponting's captaincy. After Steve Waugh the only class player if Australia has ever produced it was Ricky Ponting. The punter really played well to his true abilities but it was that his class was permanent but his form eluded him. Well all great players go through a rough patch but come out of it also with great mental strength & courage. If we see from a different angle Ponting really played well under pressure & he alone outclassed India. When the match started & Ponting came to bat my intuition told me that he would make a hundred & yes he did. True he didn't get support from other players otherwise with a formidable total like 280 or even 290 plus it would have been a different ball game all together. Who knows instead of Australia, India might have got knocked off.

one of the greatest players !! surely, but i think australia missed ANDREW SYMONDS badly in this world cup..........he could have added impetus to all department which was visible in their spin attack and aggressive middle order

I've had it with so many Indians empathising with Ponting. They've never had any such feelings with Ganguly, Dravid etc. I agree with AKM, Arj but not with 90. He's a good batsman, but NOT great. The sledging (mostly unnecessary and dirty), the unsportsman like conducts- and i can go on and on. All this distracts us from the many good aspects of his game, but that's the fact. It's nice that Aus was knocked out the way it was.

india and australia have played many close world cup matches with the exception of the 1996,1999 and 2003 encounters. the 2003 final was depressing for the many millions of indian cricket fans who were excited to see their side in a world cup final after many years. australia piled up 359 and india were bowled out for 225. india played australia with a good side and high hopes in 1999 and were badly beaten. but australia would have thrashed any other side other than perhaps south africa who had a chink in their armor-spin bowling. the 1983 remains memorable for indians, who thrashed australia. australia dominated most of the ODI series played in india in recent years, winning a series 3-1 a couple of years ago. two world cup group matches in 87 and 92 were close with australia winning them by a run. india also beat australia 2-0 in the CB ODI series in australia in 2007-08.

australia's biggest strengths are consistency and toughness. they have made every quarter final since 1974.

Punter was a true great,a legend of his time and certainly better than lara.The future Aussie team will be quite similar to team in the 2000's.Trent Copeland and Mark Cameron will form a Lee and McGrath type combination and Usman Khwaja and Phil Hughes two future greats.Aussies rock!

Well-written article and expression - Ponting hopefully will continue to play. Sachin Tendulkar is a living example and the primary source of inspiration for Ponting who should continue to play. India won because of their determination and mental strength coupled with effective planning. Ponting minus his responsibilities associated with captaincy should do well as a world-class batsman.

It's riduculous to say its the end of Ponting.Tendulkar is almost 38 and is still playing.What makes you think Ponting freed from the burden of captaincy won't show the same form as Tendulkar.I think he should be given a chance to choose when he retires.

PUNTER SHOULD NOT RETIRE HE IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST FEAR BATSMEN IN THE WORLD AS A CAPTIN TJAT IS A WHOLE OTHER QUESTION

Ricky is a champion cricketer...Those thought that his captaincy is benefited by a group of champion team mates, yes its true..but think about you lost a bowler like Shane warne before the start of world cup...or lead a wold cup as defending champion..you can feel the pressure to perform and the greatness of taking the burden for a long period. He took captaincy when australian limited over cricket was in disarray..He made it finer and build a champion team. His test captaincy and performance definitely roam around his champion team mates. He is a leader who likes to lead by example and did it consistently. I think its good for him to be in the team as player. Let the captaincy to someone else. But he should be in the team because he still the best batsman in the australian territory.

His statistics may lack Tendulkar, If we consider all round aspect, batting , fielding and captaincy, he is second to none.

Great innings by Ponting, but I don't feel sorry for him at all....he had the fortune to be at his best when there were some all-time greats playing around him. Now that they are no longer around, there is all this talk of "pressure".... well, that's the kind of pressure Lara, Border and Tendulkar excelled in, all their careers. Ponting's also been shown up for the bad captain and arrogant character that he is....yes, he played some great innings, but the majority were under relatively helpful conditions (England, NZ and Australia) and his record in India and SL speaks for itself.
In sum, he deserves what he getting and he is nowhere near Lara, Tendulkar, Border and Steve Waugh.....

Ricky Pointing, unarguably, is one of the greatest player the world of cricket has ever seen. Leading from the front and winning two world cups in a row as a captain is a remarkable feet, matched only by Clive Loyld of West Indies.
His century in the quarter final against India was a cavalier's innings, appearing for the last time in the world cup.I guess, it is time for Pointing to go with dignity and grace and be remembered by all of us as one of the greatest players of cricket. His departure, thought, would mark end of an era.

ponting had it easy at every world cup he played. he never had to take on a battery of west indian fast bowlers in the world cup, unlike india's then one down, mohinder amarnath(and yet india beat the west indies twice in the '83 cup against seemingly insurmountable odds). ponting's only encounter with quality pace-against allan donald in 1999 is a forgotten memory. he never had to play india's spin greats-prasanna,bedi and chandrashekar on turning tracks.

Ricky Ponting's century was undoubtedly a very gritty and bloody-minded one and it needs to be appreciated ,coming as it did when he was under the pump after repeated failures;even though it did not result in a win for his team.But, according to me, he is a good player and not a great one like Sachin Tendulkar.That is because of his unsportmanly attitude, including sledging,insulting umpires,breaking a TV after getting out etc.Australia have dominated cricket for 12 years and it is time for a new team (hopefully India) to become World Champions so it is good for the game that they are out of the World Cup.

india vs australia '99 world cup:
australia 282 (ponting 23)
india 205 (jadeja 100 not out, robin singh 75 and 2 for 43)
australia vs south africa(ponting 69 and 37)-ok, not bad.
australia vs west indies(ponting 20)
australia vs pakistan(24 and 47)-not bad again.nothing to rave about.

in the 2003 and 2007 world cups he did not face any menacing fast or spin bowler.

A WIN BY ANY MEANS BY HOOK OR CROOK, BY ABUSES OR SLEDGING, THAT IS HI MOTTO. MAY BE HE IS A GOOD BATSMAN BUT BAD EXAMPLE FOR SPORTSMANSHIP. SYDNEY TEST WILL TESTIFY THIS. AND ALSO HIS RECENT COMMENTS THAT HE WONT WALK BACK EVEN IF HE KNOWS THAT HES OUT AND UMPIRE HAS GIVEN HIM NOT OUT.

i got to admit i did really hate australia as a team. but i feel sorry for the guy. now australia is no longer the dominant team. they are good but not unstoppable.

Ponting is a great batsman. He was captaining the team that doesn't have great players. Australia lost not because of ponting, but because of Tait, White, and Smith, bunch of players who can't perform in regular games much less crunch games. Result might have be different had they played Nannes, also they missed hauritz dearly. Smith and Krezja are just pathetic bowlers. I am true fan of hussey, but he was much overrated for this world cup. Ponting is a true champion player and captain.

Totally agree with comments of : Mutahir at March 25, 2011 10:26 PM

I am from India and loved Ponting's cricket always...

AT THE END OF ALL THIS ONLY ONE THING WILL LEAVE THAT PONTING IS GREATEST OO ALL SPORTSPERSON ON EARTH

well written brad.we must also not forget the fact that getting eliminated from the world cup is not the end of the road..and this is the time where the selectors will be harsh and players will be axed..nevertheless the game has to move on..its sad to see a legend of rickys stature to go through this..but the greatest players of the game had to exit nobody was spared..imran khan,steve waugh,ganguly,wasim akram the list can go on...that's the beauty of the game it can show u highs and then there r days where you have the nail has to be finally hit..the players know it the best when they have to leave the stage..the circle needs to be completed..!!

well written brad.we must also not forget the fact that getting eliminated from the world cup is not the end of the road..and this is the time where the selectors will be harsh and players will be axed..nevertheless the game has to move on..its sad to see a legend of rickys stature to go through this..but the greatest players of the game had to exit nobody was spared..imran khan,steve waugh,ganguly,wasim akram the list can go on...that's the beauty of the game it can show u highs and then there r days where you have the nail has to be finally hit..the players know it the best when they have to leave the stage..the circle needs to be completed..!!

@AKM: I agree. Ponting is not a true great. A true great plays well whether the team is good or bad. Ponting only played when he had other good players around him. After the likes of Hayden, Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and Langer left, we saw the real Ponting. A guy like Tendulkar, who was the lone star of India on so many occasions under pressure, is truly great.

The reality is that even God as captain could not have helped Australia win the current world cup. Let us all remember that in 1996 Australia had a far better bowling as well as a batting line up and came up second best. Their slim chances evaporated the moment Hauritz got injured. Ponting should continue as a batsman in both formats as on skill he is certainty in both formats and willl do well without the burden of captaincy

Nobody can deny that Ricky was a great cricketer.The minus point with him, as with most other Aussie players, is his terrible arrogance.There are several examples like pushing Mr Pawar out of the dias,telling a journalist from India if he suspects his(Ponting's)integrity, he should not be sitting there,etc. Peter Roebuck had written some where that he has trained a set of wolves whereas Steve Waugh had enhanced Aussie reputation as a great team.As Ian Chappell says it is time to build a new team under a new captain and coach.

Most of his career was a part of a great team. Reality showed when greats left. Cant play spin properly. Cant play game in the right spirit. Bad role model. Below par captain.

Pointing fought a bloody battle like a warrior and should continue till his last breathe. People tend to admire only his victories but defeats are equally important. Its a dark time for him and people should support him during his time as there is lots of cricket still alive within him

Ponting wasn't a good representative for the sport. More than what you achieve for yourself or your country, what matters is what you give back to the game. Ponting will be remembered for his bad behavior, and questionable ethical standards. And I'm not talking about off-the-field incidents like the bar fight incident and being drunk on tour - those hardly matter. His on-field conduct was not becoming of a captain of a national side.

This is a well crafted and reverential piece - but it doesn't pursuade me I'm afraid. True - Pontings last Innings for Australia - the 104 against India in a losing cause has a kind of poetic ring to it. It was a good dig in the circumstances. But scoring runs is the job of any batsman - and it was merely co-incedental that the stage was a losing WC QF. The problem with that innings is that it will re-inflate his ego and tempt him to hang around even longer. Ponting passed his sell-by date at the Oval in 2009. Arguing with umpires and walking up the steps cussing the England balcony after his run out at Trent Bridge in 2005 will be the images I will carry of this petulant little man. Go, and good riddance.

Good article. However, one thing is certain, Australians are in a tricky position. They want Ponting to go, but dont have a clear alternative to Ponting. If Michael Clarke is made the captain, Australian Cricket is doomed. They need to do something South Africans did when they chose Graeme Smith as the captain, bring in a complete outsider.

Ponting, undoubtedly, is a great batsman. A captain is supposed to be a good leader and that is, if his team has required skills. Any tom dick and harry could have achieved what Australia achieved when they had McGrath, Warne, Waughs, Symonds, Martyn, Gilchrist, Lee in the team. Ponting does not have the cricketers of the same calibers. Ponting should relinquish captaincy and focus on batting and with stress of the captaincy gone, he will have a rebirth like Tendulkar achieved. However, the problems will not go away for upcoming captain. Clarke, even without captaincy, is failing. The batten of captaincy should be carried on by Haddin.

I don't agree that Ponting was a great player. Look at when he was best in his carrer sledging other players at play, look at when he was caught or out but would never walk out untill umprires would show him finger. It is not that you play and make centuries but other gentlemen conduct makes one a better player or best player....which Ponting can never achieve or become or even any current aussie player.

Ponting is a prodigous talent and the only argument is where to rank him among the greats. His knockers are many but their arguments and criticisms are weak and baseless and reek of insecurity. Funny how most of the negative remarks here are usually only a prelude to some extended thesis about the awesomeness of Sachin Tendulkar. That Sachin's obsessive fans are so frightened of Ricky only proves his greatness - And his defiant middle finger of an innings the other night would have infuriated them no end. Ricky, like Sachin, is the last of his kind. When these guys are gone who will we look to for inspiration?

Nice artical, a lot of poor comments though from people who are more interested in their views of a what cricket is to them rather then about a person who done his absolute best! Cricket or no cricket this man can walk away from the game with few regrets and with the knowlege that he gave more then most ever did.
Staggering achievements,the sporting world watching his ever movement and his own personal pride that kept him going.

Staggering record really and especially as he also had the added pressure of captaincy which Tendulkar couldn't handle. Probably would have averaged close to 60 in test cricket without the captaincy but Punter being Punter allways played for the team. this talk of him having it easier than Tendulkar is rubbish. Tendulkar had Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Ganguly etc to hide his failings in pressure situations. Some of Punters behaviour of recent times is unfortunate however I will allways remember him as the best batsman I have seen(alongside Lara) in the last 20 years and on the 2nd rung behind Viv Richards as the best I have ever seen.

the negative comments about sachin mainly come from pakistanis which is not surprising. till a pakistani makes 50 test centuries and almost 50 one day hundreds against the worlds greatest fast bowlers and spinners over two decades there is no need to respond.
the worst criticism that anybody can make about sachin(or even a lara) is that he did not impose his authority on some big occasions in the world cup-mainly the must win matches against sri lanka in '96 and '07 and australia in '99 and '03. he did play that big innings in '03 that sank pakistan and follow a 137 with a 63 against sri lanka in '96. but many unheralded players-ajay jadeja(who was also a hero in india's quarterfinal win in '96 against pakistan), robin singh, and sehwag outperformed sachin,relished and rose to the challenge in big matches.
but he has 49 odi hundreds(and 50 test hundreds).ponting is overrated. he did not ever have to play mcgrath or warne,the biggest wicket takers of his time.

in 1999, india stared at a 3-0 defeat,the worst in it's cricket history,against australia.vvs laxman strode out.while the wickets fell around him in a heap he made a majestic 167. then in 2001, india was 1-0 down against australia and followed on.it seemed that australia would whitewash india again.vvs had other ideas and belted mcgrath and warne for 280,along with rahul dravid who made 180.they turned around the match and australia collapsed. india won the series.again laxman was the hero in chennai. in 2004,india scored 700 against australia.ponting among others saved australia embarassment but those moments,where his side was the underdog and he beat insurmountable odds to take his team to a win did not exist.the wind almost always blew on his back.

hey ricky ponting. don't just stand there with the world cup in your hand man. where is it ? can you give it to me right now ? i need to give it to the winning team. and you and your teammates need to get off the stage,yes, right now. the winning team needs to take a photo with me.

"yes, he played some great innings, but the majority were under relatively helpful conditions (England, NZ and Australia) and his record in India and SL speaks for itself."

This earlier comment by SW made me go and look up his record in the Asian/middle eastern countries...

1998 Pakistan in Pakistan - 1 test 119 avg (76* HS)
2002 Pakistan in Sri Lanka - 1 test 74 avg (141 HS)
2002 Pakistan in UAE - 2 tests 97 avg (150 HS)

99-04 SL in SL - 6 tests 50.11 avg (105* HS)

96-10 IND in IND 14 tests 26.48 avg (123 HS)

06 Ban in Ban 2 tests 95 avg (118* HS)

At home : 79, 70, 50 and 34 against Ind, Pak, SL, Ban in many tests.

Besides India, where he's played the last couple of series as captain facing all sorts of other pressure, he has an excellent record against the spin heavy teams. Which foreign batsman besides Tendulkar was great in Australia?*

*Tendulkar never took on the job of captaincy.

Go Home And Practice Well Otherwise Get Retirement ....

it's Not Essay To play Like Sachin But U r My Favorite

Good article. He will bat on, minus the captaincy. It will be interesting if that knocks the monkey off the back & he can return to something like his domineering self. If he can, he will make life a hell of a lot easier for the next captain coming through.

First I am an avid Aus fan having followed Oz cricket since 1971 and have since then seen some good cricketers and great cricketers. There is no doubting Punters records for run scoring, centuries and capataincy. He is a very good cricketer I would not call him great as he has never had to carry the team on his own, I have never seen him bat with the attitude of Border or Waugh that you your not going to give your wicket away and that no matter what you will fight for every run. When he was scoring lots of runs he had a great team to back him.
As has been previously said with that team it did not take a lot to lead just the though of who was in that team must have terrified opposition. Punter has had touble on the subcontinent against spin, but unlike other great batsmen he has never had to face the great WI pace attack, Younis, Akram & Kan of Pakistan, the really great spinners of India, Donald in his glory. So does this take away what he has achieved with the bat? No he is good.

Ricky has lot more to offer for world's cricket. Hope ACC picks him as a batsman and continue to play at least another couple of years

Salute the most unselfish cricketer the game has ever seen...

punter is an legend. no one can doubt that. he have played some legendary innings under pressure where no other player cud do better than him.
being an indian i can say that cricket have not produced better player than him. he is simply the best captain, best player, n a true dedicated player with oz spirit. dats wt have kept him still intact n i promice u there is many more to cum from his side.
he is a punter n he ll show the world wt he is capable of

another thing is that ponting didnt got support from middle order batsman when he needed badly, n wt happened is dat he was the one who was blamed. but i can say that he should not retire and cont playing till india aus series.
but but after ponting retirement, will they be able to atleast challenge anyone?????????????????/
wit such inexperienced side, wit no quality spinner n middle order its time to blame captain if anything goes rong? rit? as was the case wit punter

Ricky Ponting's record speaks for itself. It is not Ponting's fault he played with great players or against guys not as good as others. Bradman never faced the great West Indian bowlers either but are you going to deny his greatness? The fact he stood out as the best batsman in a great team is testimony to his abilities......and please......he was a better bat than Border or Waugh and they were great batsmen; Border was one of my favourites.

How many cricketers have scored 12000+ Test runs, about 40 Test centuries and averaged 55+ in the greatest form of the game - Tests? Tendulkar aside, none. There alone lies his greatness. To say he's never done it under pressure is just crap. The WC final of 2003 is not pressure enough?

The problem you people have who bag Ponting is you don't like his attitude to the game and his competitive spirit. Fair enough, he doesn't appeal to those who like a more genteel form of the game, but to deny his ability is farcical.

Punter is a good batsman and leader but he never played under pressure like Brian Lara that makes Lara one of the greats

Ricky Ponting was always a good batsmen, but could never be called great. He was always missing that something that the greats had, such as Steve Waugh who plowed on through sheer detrmination in the Caribbean, or Viv Richards, who walked onto the ground with the attitude that he was better than everyone else out there. Ricky's attitude has always been lacking, and that showed itself when the real talent of the Australian team retired. No longer could he turn to McGrath or Warne for wickets. There was no Langer and Hayden to set up a winning partnership at the top of the innings. Ricky was a dull and unimaginative captain, and without those greats to turn to, he couldn't handle the pressure of the game, which has resulted in Australia's slump in the last few years.
In my opinion, it is time to say goody to Ricky Ponting and those others in the Australian team who are living on past glory. Thanks for everything, but not its time for someone else to take your place.
Good luck Clarkey!

ponting sir is one of the best captain in the world no one is batter than.he is the legend player.one of the best player in the world.

ponting is not a natural man.he is a super human.because of his aggression,some people don't like him.but the truth is he is the best!you can't say anything against him.sometimes he failed to perform,yes,he does have some bad memories of loosing 3 ashes,loosing all the test series in india.but he has done everything for his team,not thinking of his own bating. I LOVE YOU,RICKY.please don't leave us.

i read one of above mentioned comment,Ricky has not had to palay under pressure like sachin .inzi etc,can i ask...when sachin played under pressure,sachin have no pressure yet,some comments above ponding never played mcgrathdelivery,check youtube type best of ricky ponding,u can see ,ricky thomas ponding 152 121
112 agnst mcgrath at sydnee.mcg perth ,watch and try to enjoy how is hitting mcgrath.in 1999 ponding made 199 vs pakistan at perth agnst wasim waqar aktar, this innings at perth i think every bodys dream.one of the greatest batsmen,