Friday, February 11, 2011

Ricky Ponting, a Charismatic Leader in cricket world


Ricky Thomas Ponting, born on 19th December 1974, is the current captain of the Australian cricket team. Ponting is also nicknamed Punter.  He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very occasional bowler. Third Australian to score 10,000 Test runs.

Punter is considered the most successful captain in the world. He is going to lead his side for 3rd time in ICC World Cup this year. He also led his team in 2003 and 2007 world cup as captain and made exceptional winning both. However, he might be the lone  for all time one man if his team wins in world cup 2011 marking himself Hectic Winning Captain.

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.

Although the Test team had continued to perform well, sweeping South Africa 3–0 in the home series in 2001–02, the One-Day International (ODI) team suffered a slump, failing to qualify for the finals of the triangular tournament, leading to the dropping of Steve Waugh from the one-day team in February 2002.

Ponting was elevated to the captaincy, ahead of then vice-captain Adam Gilchrist. The fortunes of the ODI team revived immediately, and the Ponting's men won their first series during the tour of South Africa, defeating the team that had won the tournament that ended Waugh's reign.

Following his elevation to the ODI captaincy, Ponting played a prominent role in the Test tour of South Africa. He scored 100 not out to steer Australia to a four-wicket win in the Second Test in Cape Town. 


After being involved in 151 Tests and 352 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 (50), and South African Jacques Kallis (40)-and third for most runs in ODIs behind Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya.

Ricky Ponting remains the most successful Australian captain of all time, with 48 victories in 77 Tests since 2004 - 31 December 2010, while as a player he has taken part in 99 victories, the most by anyone in history.

Ponting was prominent in the 3–0 whitewash of Pakistan on neutral territory in late-2002. He struck 141 in the First Test in Colombo and 150 in the Third Test in Sharjah to end with 342 runs at 85.50.

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.


After winning the toss and electing to bat in the First Test in Kingston, Jamaica, Ponting recorded his 35th Test century, before he was eventually dismissed in the final session of the opening day for 158 from 224 balls (16 fours and a six). Despite forcing their way back into contention, the West Indies were defeated by 95 runs. In the Second Test, Ponting became the seventh player and third Australian to score 10,000 Test runs in 2007. It took Ponting 118 Tests and 196 innings' to achieve the feat, one slower than Tendulkar and Lara.

Ponting in his personal life is also a very happy one in the world. 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 football, 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.

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