Ricky Ponting | Australia Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo « Prev Showing 3 of 13 Next » December 26-30, 2003 Double-hundreds galore Joins Bradman as the second player to score three double-centuries in a calendar year with 257 against India at the MCG. He reached 242 in the previous match and 206 against West Indies in April, helping him to 1503 runs at 100.2 for 2003. His performances would win him the 2004 Allan Border Medal. March 2004 Captain in all forms Takes over the Test captaincy as well after Steve Waugh retires. Leads Australia to a 3-0 victory in Sri Lanka, his first assignment. October-November 2004 Untimely injury A broken thumb keeps Ponting on the sidelines as Adam Gilchrist leads Australia to their first series win in India in 35 years. Ponting plays the final Test which Australia lose and take the series 2-1.

« Prev Showing 4 of 13 Next » January 2005 Another double Scores 207 against Pakistan in Sydney to become only the third Australian, along with Don Bradman and Greg Chappell, to score four or more double-centuries in Tests. June 2005 Beaten by Bangla Suffers humiliating defeat in an ODI against Bangladesh in Cardiff . It's the start of a torrid summer in England. July-September 2005 An Ashes setback A heroic 156 saves the Old Trafford Test but, on September 12, Ponting becomes the first Australian captain since Allan Border in 1986-87 to taste defeat in an Ashes series. « Prev Showing 5 of 13 Next » January 2-6, 2006 The perfect 100th Test Ponting scores hundreds in each innings of his 100th Test , against South Africa at the SCG. March 24-28, 2006 Joining Gavaskar Scores two more hundreds in the Durban Test , it's the third time Ponting's scored hundreds in each innings of a Test.

Sunil Gavaskar is the only other batsman to achieve this feat. November 2006 Champion of Champions Leads Australia to Champions Trophy glory in India, thereby winning the only competition that had eluded Australia so far. « Prev Showing 6 of 13 Next » January 2007 Revenge Regains the Ashes in emphatic style. Ponting is the Man of the Series - 576 runs at 82.28 - as Australia becomes the first team in 86 years to achieve an Ashes clean sweep. April 2007 Another World Cup title Leads Australia to a hat-trick of World Cup wins, his second as captain, with an undefeated run during the competition in the West Indies. January 2008 Breaking a barren run Ponting ends a 13-month century-less run with 140 against India in Adelaide , at the end of a controversial series. « Prev Showing 7 of 13 Next » May 2008 Next only to Sachin Scores 35th Test century, against West Indies in Jamaica , to pass Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara's tallies.

Only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him. October 2008 Ending the India jinx After averaging 12.28 in 14 innings, Ponting finally scores a century in India - a 123 in Bangalore . July 2009 « Prev Showing 8 of 13 Next » July-August 2009 Loses the Ashes for the second time, going down 2-1 in England. September 2009 Champion of Champions … again Arrives in South Africa after a disappointing tour of England and successfully defends the Champions Trophy. January 2010 Prolific Punter Scores fifth double-century, against Pakistan in Hobart , and narrowly misses scoring a double-century and a century in the same Test. « Prev Showing 9 of 13 Next » March-July 2010 A lean patch begins Disappointing tours of New Zealand and England follow, where Ponting manages just one half-century in seven innings. Australia win the New Zealand Test series, but slip-up against Pakistan as the series is drawn 1-1.

October 2010 Disappointment in India A tour that is a personal high for Ponting, but a poor one for Australia as they are beaten 2-0 in the Test series. Ponting makes three fifties in four innings but all in vain. November 2010-January 2011 Despair in Australia Ponting presides over Australia's first Ashes series defeat at home since 1986-87. He makes just 103 runs in seven innings as Australia go down 3-1. Calls for his retirement intensify. « Prev Showing 10 of 13 Next » March 19, 2011 Unbeaten World Cup run ends Ponting's 26-match unbeaten streak as captain in World Cups is brought to an end as Pakistan win by four wickets in Colombo . March 24, 2011 A hero in defeat India prevail in an exciting quarter-final in Ahmedabad, knocking out Australia but Ponting overcomes a poor run and criticism about captaincy to score a determined century.

March 29, 2011 Ponting resigns as captain Amid increasing pressure, Ponting steps down as Australia's Test and ODI captain but makes himself available for selection with an intention to play on. « Prev Showing 11 of 13 Next » September 2, 2011 A hundred Test wins Australia's 125-run victory in Galle was Ponting's 100th Test win. He was the first cricketer to achieve that staggering landmark. Shane Warne is second with 92. January 4, 2012 A Test century at last After going two years, and 33 innings, without a Test hundred, Ponting finally ends that drought with a knock of 134 against India in Sydney. It's his sixth Test hundred at the SCG. January 24-28, 2012 Defiant double Ponting finishes an outstanding series against India by scoring 221 and 60 not out in Adelaide . That lifts his series aggregate to 544, his third-best ever in a Test series.

« Prev Showing 12 of 13 Next » February 21, 2012 A farewell to ODIs After being dropped from the CB Series because of his poor form - 18 runs in five innings - Ponting concedes that his ODI career is over. It's been quite a career too - 13,704 runs at 42.03, with three World Cup titles, including two as captain. November 29, 2012 Ponting announces retirement from international cricket During a poor home series against South Africa, Ponting announces on the eve of the third Test in Perth that it will be his last. His decision to retire from international cricket came after he scored only 20 runs in three innings in the first two Tests. Ricky Ponting to be Inducted Into Sport Australia Hall of Fame – NDTV Sports Ricky Ponting led Australia to victory in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.

© AFP Melbourne: Former Australian Test captain Ricky Ponting will join the likes of Donald Bradman, Steve Waugh and Shane Warne in a unique club on Wednesday when he gets inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.( Ponting to be Batting Consultant? ) Athletes are required to be retired for two years before being eligible for the Hall of Fame, reported cricket.com.au on Monday.( All the Latest Cricket Updates ) The 40-year-old, who played his last match for his country at the WACA, Perth, in December 2012 and retired from first-class cricket with a final match for Surrey at The Oval, London, in mid-2013, shares the Australian record for most Tests with Steve Waugh, and has scored more Test runs (13,378) and more centuries (41) than any other Australian. Only Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has more Test runs and only the 'Little Master' and South African great Jacques Kallis have produced more tons. His record in the one-day arena is no less impressive.

In 375 matches, the Tasmanian scored 13,589 runs -- more than any other Australian, including 29 hundreds. And when Ponting turned his hand to coaching for the first time, his golden touch immediately conjured more success as he led the Mumbai Indians to the Indian Premier League (IPL) title. "Cricket Australia are trying to get me involved in coaching in some way, shape or form. It's been spoken about over the last couple of months," Ponting said. Former wicketkeeper and long-time teammate Adam Gilchrist will induct Ponting into the Hall of Fame. Josh Hazlewood echoes Ricky Ponting's calls for bat size restrictions | Sport | The Guardian Josh Hazlewood echoes Ricky Ponting's calls for bat size restrictions Former Australian captain calls for different bat size limits per format Hazlewood: some of the cricket bats being used are ‘unbelievably big’ David Warner is one of those who prefers a heavier bat.

Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images Australian Associated Press Wednesday 6 July 2016 21.40 EDT Last modified on Monday 10 October 2016 21.32 EDT Close This article is 7 months old In-form Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood has backed former captain Ricky Ponting’s call to limit bat sizes for Test cricket. Ponting expects the hot topic to be raised on Monday at a World Cricket Committee meeting. “I don’t mind it (big bats) for the shorter versions of the game,” Ponting said at the Australian Cricket Society’s annual dinner. “I would actually say you’ve got a bat you can use in Test cricket and a certain type of bat you can use in one-day cricket and Twenty20 cricket. Three Australian cricketers banned for gambling on matches Read more “The short forms of the game survive on boundaries – fours and sixes – whereas the Test game is being dominated too much now by batters because the game is a bit easier for them than it was.” Hazlewood, the player of the series in the recent one-day tri series involving South Africa and the West Indies, agreed with Ponting’s assessment.

“Some of those cricket bats going around the dressing sheds at the moment are unbelievably big,” Hazlewood said. “Obviously, David Warner and Usman Khawaja has got a few big ones there as well, so I’m all for it. “One-day cricket is a little bit different. I think the crowds come to see the fours and sixes and the big hits but, in Test cricket, definitely I think he’s making a pretty good point.” Hazlewood, who took 5-50 in the tri-series final against the Windies in Barbados, felt he was bowling as well as at any stage of his international career. “The rhythm feels really good and I think the break before we went away helped to refresh and to get some strength back in the legs,” Hazlewood said. “I feel like I’m bowling really well at the moment – even if those conditions (in the West Indies) didn’t quite suit me.” He attributed his consistent form over the past year to a diet of continuous cricket after having numerous injury interruptions earlier in his career.

Hazlewood expects conditions in Sri Lanka, where Australia will play three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s, to be similar to those in the West Indies, with pitches on the slow side. He read little into Sri Lanka’s series of crushing defeats to England across all three formats. “England are tough to play in England, Sri Lanka will be a different proposition in their home conditions and they are always tough to play there,” he said. Ricky Ponting's career in pictures - BBC Sport BBC Sport Ricky Ponting's career in pictures 21 Feb 2012 Read more about sharing.

Born in Launceston on 19 December 1974, Ricky Thomas Ponting becomes the youngest player to represent Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield when he makes his first-class debut against South Australia at the age of 17 The nephew of Test seamer Greg Campbell, who toured England with Australia in 1989, Ponting is not quite 20 when he plays for Australia A against England at the MCG in December 1994, scoring 31 Ponting makes his Australia debut against South Africa in February 1995 in a one-day tournament hosted by New Zealand, and makes his Test debut against Sri Lanka that December, hitting 96 and 71 in his first two innings He hits his first ODI century against Sri Lanka in Melbourne in January 1996 and another against West Indies in that year's World Cup, going on to score 45 in the final as Australia are beaten by co-hosts Sri Lanka The goatee beard finally disappears when Ponting tours England for the first time in 1997 and scores his maiden Test century at Headingley.

Australia win the Ashes series 3-2 But Ponting, nicknamed "Punter" for his love of gambling, begins to make headlines for the wrong reasons - in early 1999 he is suspended for three matches after a nightclub brawl leaves him with a black eye, and he admits to an alcohol problem An injury to Greg Blewett earns Ponting a Test recall in the West Indies, and he is ever-present as all-conquering Australia lift the World Cup in England in the summer of 1999 Ponting soon establishes himself in the key number three position for Australia in both forms of the game, and helps them to a 4-1 Ashes win in 2001 - once more scoring a century at Headingley In February 2002, Ponting's redemption is complete as he is announced as Australia's one-day captain for the tour of South Africa, replacing Steve Waugh and leapfrogging existing vice-captain Adam Gilchrist After another Ashes series win in 2002/03, Ponting repays the selectors' faith with a man-of-the-match performance in the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa, hitting 140 not out

 as Australia beat India by 125 runs In 2003, Ponting matches legend Sir Donald Bradman's feat of hitting three Test double centuries in a calendar year, and in March 2004 he assumes the Test captaincy following Steve Waugh's retirement Ponting inherits a dominant side head and shoulders above the rest of the world, boasting some stellar names including spin legend Shane Warne, seam bowler Glenn McGrath and wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist But in 2005, not even Warne's heroics can prevent a resurgent England side led by Michael Vaughan from regaining the Ashes for the first time since 1986/87, winning the series 2-1 as Ponting's captaincy comes under scrutiny Ponting famously loses his cool in spectacular fashion when he is run out by substitute fielder Gary Pratt in the fourth Test, and is fined 75% of his match fee for a foul-mouthed tirade at England coach Duncan Fletcher as he walks off the pitch at Trent Bridge But that defeat in England galvanises Ponting's side to raise their game and against South Africa, the captain scores hundreds in each innings of his 100th Test

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The one-day side remains strong and they win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 The Ashes are regained in spectacular fashion in 2006/07 as Ponting hits 576 runs at 82.28 as Australia complete a 5-0 whitewash over the old enemy - although icons Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, and opener Justin Langer, retire from Test cricket at the end of the series A third successive World Cup success follows in the Caribbean in 2007, Ponting's second as captain - but over the next couple of years, the retirement of more senior players from their golden era, such as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, leaves Australia as a side in transition Ponting passes Allan Border's Australian record of 11,174 Test runs at Edgbaston in 2009, but becomes the third Aussie captain to lose two Ashes series, although they do win the ICC Champions Trophy again that year Calls from Aussie fans, media and former players for Ponting to resign intensify after he scores 103 runs in seven innings as England retain the Ashes in 2010/11 with a 3-1 series victory

, the first time Australia have been beaten on home soil since 1986/87 Ponting's final bow as skipper is at the 2011 World Cup.

He scores a century in a losing cause as India beat Australia in the quarter-finals, and resigns the captaincy within days, although he later stands in as captain for a couple of ODIs in early 2012 Back in the ranks under his successor Michael Clarke and without a Test fifty in nearly a year, Ponting's place is under threat, but he scores 643 runs at 80.38, including a double century in Adelaide, in the 2011-12 home season against New Zealand and India Despite standing in as skipper for the injured Clarke in a couple of one-dayers, Ponting is then dropped from the ODI squad in the middle of a series after a run of poor form - just 18 runs in five innings in the tri-series against India and Sri Lanka in Australia Ponting calls a news conference the following day and says he does not expect to play one-day cricket again for Australia, though he stops short of announcing his retirement and stresses he still wants to play Test cricket In February, Ponting signs a two-month deal with Surrey as cover for the injured Graeme Smith.

The former Australia captain scores 192 on his debut, but his side draw their County Championship Division One match with Derbyshire In June, Ponting does announce plans to retire from all forms of cricket. The 38-year-old says he will call time on his career after appearing for Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians in the Champions League, which ends in October. Share this page Ricky Ponting: The man who epitomised Australian cricket - BBC Sport BBC Sport Ricky Ponting: The man who epitomised Australian cricket By Marc Higginson Read more about sharing. Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting, one of the most uncompromising of Australian cricketers, heads into international retirement next week as one of the most decorated players and leaders in history. Snarling and abrasive, he never took a backward step - especially against the old enemy, England. However, for all his spats with the opposition, which were borne out of a competitive spirit to win matches for his country, Ponting is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen the game has ever seen. Highest-scoring Test batsmen of all time 1. Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) Runs: 15,562.

Average: 54.60 2. Ricky Ponting (Aus). Runs: 13,366. Average: 52.21 3. Rahul Dravid (Ind). Runs: 13,288. Average: 52.31 4. Jacques Kallis (SA) Runs: 12,941 Average: 57.26 5. Brian Lara (WI). Runs: 11,953. Average: 52.88 Only Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar has scored more Test runs than Ponting's haul of 13,366 at an average of 52, while he is also second to Tendulkar in the one-day list with 13,704 at an average of 42. Perhaps former England captain Michael Vaughan summed him up best on Twitter: "The best batsman I had the privilege to play against was Ricky Ponting. He played better against me than Sachin did. Both incredible but if I had to pick one it would be Ricky.

Australian cricket will not be the same without him." Born in Launceston, Tasmania on 19 December, 1974, cricket played a big part in Ponting's early years - his dad Graeme turning out for local club Mowbray and his uncle, Greg Campbell, playing four Tests for Australia. He was always destined for big things - he signed a bat sponsorship deal at the age of 12 after scoring four centuries in a week in a junior cricket competition and legendary wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh later labelled him the best teenage batsman he had ever seen. Media playback is not supported on this device Ponting announces Test retirement Ponting took the fight to the opposition and scored 96 on his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 1995, aged just 20, in Perth - the same ground he will end his international career against South Africa. However, such precocious talent was in danger of being unfulfilled when, in early 1999, he was suspended for three matches after a nightclub brawl left him with a black eye.

He addressed his off-field problems and was soon back as an ever-present in the team which won the World Cup in England later that year - he would go on to lift the trophy twice more. While players like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist often took the headlines, Punter, as he was nicknamed, was one of the key components in an Australian team which dominated world cricket for the best part of a decade. Batting at number three, he demoralised bowling attacks with his flashing blade - the hook and pull shots synonymous with the dashing strokemaker. Whether it was the fast, pacy wickets of his homeland, or the slow, spin-friendly conditions of the subcontinent, Ponting generally flourished. England batsman Kevin Pietersen described the 37-year-old as "one of the greats. I always got excited playing Australia so I could watch him bat up close." Ponting took over the Australian Test captaincy when Steve Waugh retired in 2004, inheriting a team at the peak of their powers.

Ponting in numbers Highest Test score: 257 v India in 2003 Won three World Cups Legends of the game like Warne, McGrath and Gilchrist continued to keep the Baggy Greens at the top table of world cricket under their new skipper, but Ponting's bristling character was tested in 2005 when England won the Ashes 2-1 on home soil. It was the first time in 16 years that England had won the famous urn and Ponting was hurting, judging by his now-famous outburst at the home dressing room at Trent Bridge after being run out by substitute fielder Gary Pratt. "It was something we'd never seen before," said Pratt. "It was the Australian captain being rattled and showing it. It was a massive psychological blow." That was not the only time Ponting clashed with England and he often received abuse from the stands. "It used to make me sick every time the great Ricky Ponting, one of the great people I've met, would walk on to the ground, and the England supporters would boo him," reflected his old batting partner Justin Langer.

"I never quite got that; I found it disrespectful, and hard to stomach really, but that's life, that's sport, certainly in this country." Ponting and the other stellar names in the team made it their mission to wrestle back the Ashes, which they did in style by whitewashing the tourists in 2006-07 - the skipper topping the run charts with almost 600 runs at an average of 82. Andrew Flintoff's side were ruthlessly hammered and it was the perfect stage for a cast of legends to bring down the curtain on their career. Warne, McGrath and Langer stepped down, with Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden in the twilight of their careers. Highest-scoring one-day batsmen of all time 1. Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) Runs: 18,426. Average: 44.83 2. Ricky Ponting (Aus). Runs: 13,704. Average: 42.03 3. Sanath Jayasuriya (SL). Runs: 13,430. Average: 32.36 4.

Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pak) Runs: 11,739. Average: 39.52 5. Jacques Kallis (SA). Runs: 11,498. Average: 45.26 The Aussies were in transition, and Ponting bore the brunt of the frustrations when England won two more Ashes series (2009 and 2010-11), ensuring the Tasmanian became the first Australian captain to preside over three Ashes defeats. The latest loss to England proved particularly painful, given the dominance of Andrew Strauss's side in a 3-1 triumph down under, and it would not be long before he gave up the captaincy, after seven years in control of the Test team and nine in charge of the ODI side, following a World Cup quarter-final exit in March of the same year.

Not before, however, he had become the most successful Test captain of all time - under his leadership, the team won 48 out 77 Tests, 16 of them in a row between December 2005 and January 2008, and 163 out of 227 one-day internationals, including the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. After stepping back into the ranks, Ponting bounced back with 643 runs at 80.38 during the Australian Test summer - before losing his one-day place following a poor run of scores only weeks later. A proud Ponting sensed the clamour for change was becoming deafening and announced his retirement from that form of the game, but stayed on in the Test team under the captaincy of Michael Clarke. However, after a return of just 20 runs in the first two matches of the series against South Africa, he decided to step aside and let Australia plan for two Ashes series in 2013 without their batting stalwart. "I'm sure he'll be admired in England now that he's retired, but he'll leave the game as a legend," concluded Langer.

Share this page Ricky Ponting not playing county cricket this season - BBC Sport BBC Sport Ricky Ponting not playing county cricket this season 23 Mar 2012 Reports had linked the 37-year-old with Somerset, the county he represented for a brief spell in 2004. But the Tasmanian said: "It [county cricket] doesn't really fit into what I'm looking at doing. "I'm looking forward to having more time with the Tasmanian Tigers and spending time with the family so county cricket is out of the question." I had a great time at Somerset in 2004 and I've always wanted to go back for a longer stint Ponting talking in 2010 The right-hander, scorer of 13,200 Test runs, resigned as Australia captain in March 2011 and said in February of this year that he does not expect to play international limited-overs cricket again. With Australia only playing limited-overs cricket between their current tour of West Indies and the three-Test series against South Africa, Ponting had said a spell with a county would help him prepare for the visit of the Proteas, but conceded that the prospect was unlikely.

And, speaking in Melbourne on Friday, he added: "I've got to look at what my best preparation is, post the West Indies, and that will probably be to have a couple of months off. "It's been a hard 12 months for me personally and around my cricket. "With things not going as smoothly as I wanted at the start of the year, I had to train harder and work harder on my game and think more about my game than ever before. "It's taken its toll a little bit, so I need to have a chance to refresh and recharge my batteries and get a solid pre-season under my belt before the Australian summer." DID YOU KNOW? Ricky Ponting captained Australia in 77 Tests and led them to 48 victories, a record for any nation Somerset director of cricket Brian Rose had indicated they would welcome the chance for Ponting to fill their vacant overseas player slot for the second half of the summer, but admitted they had made no contact with the three-time World Cup winner. "If Ricky Ponting is a possibility then we are flattered that we have been connected with his name," Rose told BBC Somerset.

"But at the moment talks [with Ponting] have not been initiated and we are still looking at all options." In a run that included his resignation as captain, Ponting went 17 Tests without scoring a century, leading to calls for him to be dropped. But he returned to form in the 4-0 whitewash of India, scoring 544 runs at an average of 108.80, boosting his hopes of touring England for the 2013 Ashes. Share this page Ashes 2015: Ricky Ponting expects Test end for up to half of Australia's squad Ashes 2015: Ricky Ponting expects Test end for up to half of Australia's squad Heat beat Thunder in Big Bash thriller Play Video Ashes 2015: Australia on brink of ... Ashes 2015: Australia on brink of surrendering A six-wicket haul and century opening partnership finally gave the Australians some positive news. But, as Jesse Hogan & Greg Baum explain, another batting collapse from them left England with the Ashes all but within their grasp.

Up Next Heat beat Thunder in Big Bash thriller Play Video Heat beat Thunder in Big Bash thriller Heat beat Thunder in Big Bash thriller Thunder dropped several catches which steered Brisbane to victory in their Big Bash encounter at Spotless Stadium. Heat won by three wickets with two balls to spare. Up Next Greg Norman quizzed on own career Play Video Greg Norman quizzed on own career Two-time major winner Greg Norman reflects on his golf career with a Quiz. Up Next Two goals from Marco Rojas helps Melbourne beat the Central Coast 4-1. Up Next Big men throwing TDs, scorpion kick goals and sailing history, these are the week's best plays. Up Next Warner ton keeps Australia alive Play Video Warner ton keeps Australia alive Warner ton keeps Australia alive David Warner survived being bowled off a no ball to score a century from just 113 balls as Australia began a confident reply to Pakistan's 443. Up Next Fan's casual one-hander Fan's casual one-hander A fan at the MCG made the catching look easy as even David Warner was dropping them on the field, though his second attempt wasn't so graceful.

Up Next Perpetual Loyal wins in record time Play Video Perpetual Loyal wins in record time Perpetual Loyal wins in record time Skipper Anthony Bell celebrates at Constitution Dock after Perpetual Loyal wiped nearly five hours off the previous fastest Sydney to Hobart race record. Vision courtesy Rolex World of Yachting More videos Ashes 2015: Australia on brink of surrendering A six-wicket haul and century opening partnership finally gave the Australians some positive news. But, as Jesse Hogan & Greg Baum explain, another batting collapse from them left England with the Ashes all but within their grasp. Ponting reckoned the contrasting performances of the teams at Trent Bridge demonstrated what England had done well and, more pertinently, Australia had not. "You've got to break it down and look at the deficiencies. The cold, hard facts are there. if we got bowled out for 60 then England batted on the same pitch and [declared] for 391 [is indicative that], one, we didn't bat well, and two, we probably didn't bowl well either.

Now, here we are again at 7-241, which actually should be the best batting conditions for the whole game," Ponting told ESPNcricinfo after day two in Nottingham. SHARE Fears: Former captain Ricky Ponting. Photo: Getty Images "They just haven't been good enough. I don't care what they want to say or why they want to blame or whatever." Ponting commended Australia openers Chris Rogers and David Warner on reaching a century partnership in the second innings, which they began with a deficit of 331 to England, but lamented they had "seemingly got through the hard times against the new ball, and then both of them probably played shots they wouldn't be that proud of". Advertisement "The moving ball again today just found our batsmen [out], brought them undone again. Rogers' was a wide one swinging away, (Michael) Clarke's was a decent outswinger as well [but] maybe didn't have to go as hard at as he did. "Tough day at the office - and most of them have been for the Aussies over the past few weeks." SHARE Stumps? Australia's Brad Haddin and Shane Watson.

Photo: Reuters Ponting said veteran Adam Voges' unbeaten 48 on day two was noteworthy because he had "stuck it out - and probably needed to as well", and that wicketkeeper Peter Nevill had again showed fight. Ponting hailed all-rounder Ben Stokes for generating "prodigious swing" in a day-two performance that saw him snare 5-35. SHARE Michael Clarke of Australia leaves the ground after being dismissed on day two. Photo: Getty Images "It just goes to show the skills the English players have got when they get the right conditions," he said. The decorated ex-captained said he believed there would be "a lot" of personnel changes for Australia after the series but maybe not in time for the fifth Test at the Oval in London. he hinted the exclusion of veteran Peter Siddle from Australia's team in Nottingham did not bode well for his Test prospects. "You would've thought if Siddle was ever going to play he would've played this game - he as much as said that to me the other morning, actually," he said.

Ponting said after analysing Australia's upcoming tours he had - now as an outsider - determined "there could be up to eight guys who might not ever play Test cricket again in this touring squad". "That's a big number . . . half the squad," he said. The already retired Ryan Harris and Rogers, who is likely but not certain to retire, were two of the players cited by Ponting as probably to never play Tests again, as were demoted duo Brad Haddin and Shane Watson. "You think it would be hard for Haddin to get back in now, at his age. You could probably say the same thing about Watson at his age as well. I'd like to think so with him because I think he still has some good cricket ahead of him." Beyond those four players, however, Ponting was coy on who his other four nominated casualties would be. "There are a few others, but that might do me," he said.

Ricky Ponting backs up Kevin Pietersen over England’s bullying culture | Sport | The Guardian Ricky Ponting backs up Kevin Pietersen over England’s bullying culture • Former Australia captain criticises England bowlers • Ponting: The guys who were doing it were the so-called leaders The former England batsman Kevin Pietersen says writing his autobiography was a therapeutic experience. Andy Wilson Wednesday 8 October 2014 04.32 EDT Last modified on Monday 10 October 2016 22.03 EDT Close This article is 2 years old Ricky Ponting has endorsed Kevin Pietersen’s claims of an unpleasant culture in recent England teams, and laid the blame for it with Andrew Strauss rather than Andy Flower. Ponting, who captained Australia to three Ashes series defeats out of four between 2005 and 2011, claimed that England’s spectacular collapse to a 5-0 whitewash last winter did not surprise him, because of the divisions that had been papered over by previous success.

He named Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann, two of the dominant clique of senior bowlers referred to as bullies by Pietersen in his autobiography, as the worst offenders, and said that even the early departures of Jonathan Trott and Swann from the Ashes tour could have been foreseen. “We saw them doing it – Anderson was always the same, and Swann,” said Ponting. “The pointing of fingers and you’d hear a few expletives if there was a misfield or a dropped catch. The guys who were doing it were the so-called leaders. That’s where the captain has got to come in, not wait and let little things turn into big things. That’s what it sounds like has happened in this England team. “They had a lot of very good players that were able to achieve a lot of success as a team. But if you could just get inside of them and start pulling them apart, we always had a feeling they would implode pretty quickly and that’s what’s happened over the past 12 months. “I wasn’t surprised with Trott, I wasn’t surprised with Swann retiring when he did.

When the ship started to go down, he jumped off pretty quickly, and now all the Pietersen stuff.” Pietersen tweeted a link to the quotes, which appeared in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph – not usually one of his favourite newspapers, especially as it shares copy with the Brisbane Courier Mail – with the remark: “PLS READ THIS.” Pinterest Kevin Pietersen: cricket bosses ‘want mavericks to be choirboys’ – link to video Shortly after that, he retweeted a comment by Michael Carberry, England’s opener in Australia and a former Hampshire team-mate, that “I’ve never had any issues with Kev. We have always got on well and still do.” That was in response to one of the points in the leaked document from the England and Wales Cricket Board which claimed that Pietersen had called Carberry “useless” and asked: “Aren’t there any better players at county level?” Carberry has also been critical of the ECB since the Ashes tour, in a Guardian interview in March, when he said: “Through the tour, certainly, Kev was very helpful to me … In England’s position you want to retain that knowledge as much as you can”.

Carberry also expressed disappointment in Ashley Giles in that interview, but Pietersen tweeted his delight at Lancashire’s appointment of the former England one-day coach as the permanent successor to Peter Moores, which was confirmed on Wednesday. That meant Giles would inevitably be asked about Pietersen at an Old Trafford press conference, and specifically his views on a bullying culture in the England dressing room. But he refused to be drawn. “I don’t want to get sucked into it,” said Giles, a former team-mate as well as coach of Pietersen. “This is not the day to talk about Kev’s book.I played in the dressing room with Kev and got on very well with him, but similarly with those other guys as well. I coached them and never had any major issues with them, so that’s pretty much as much as much as I want to say.” Giles described Pietersen as “a million-pound asset” in January when naming him in a 30-man squad for the World Twenty20 earlier this year – but conceded that now seems certain to be the last England squad in which he will ever be included.

“He would still consider himself to be a multimillion-pound asset, I’m sure, he’s that sort of player,” Giles added. “He’s the big show, if you like, but things have unfolded and he’s not going to play for England again by the looks of it. I’m sure it’s disappointing for him but everyone has to move on.” He laughed off a suggestion that Lancashire might even be interested in signing Pietersen, who is a free agent after his release by Surrey. “Freddie [Flintoff] and KP?” said Giles, having confirmed that he would be keen to talk to Flintoff to see if he wants to extend his surprise Twenty20 comeback. “Get Harmy [Steve Harmison, another member of the 2005 Ashes-winning team] back in the gym as well.” Flintoff is expected to confirm shortly that he will play in Australia’s Big Bash this winter, probably with Brisbane.

The author of the ‘@KPgenius’ Twitter parody that contributed to the rift between the batsman and his team-mates has insisted that no England cricketers tweeted from it Published: 8 Oct 2014 An analysis of Kevin Pietersen’s actions during the 2013-14 Ashes, leaked on Cricinfo, is a draft of a document prepared by lawyers to react to the player’s autobiography, the ECB said Published: 7 Oct 2014 Graeme Swann has responded to Kevin Pietersen’s claims of bullying within the England dressing room and suggested the sacked batsman is guilty of such behaviour himself Published: 7 Oct 2014 Andy Bull: KP: The Autobiography is the most comprehensive act of bridge burning since William Holden parachuted into the River Kwai. But no one has come out of this well Published: 7 Oct 2014

Question: Ricky Ponting represented Australia in what sport?
Answer: Cricket