Ponting, Ricky

▪ 2007

 In the 2005–06 cricket season, Australia captain Ricky Ponting made a sensational recovery after having lost the 2005 Ashes Test series in England. He scored 1,483 runs at an average of 78, with seven centuries, including twin hundreds in the same Test three times in a five-month period. In January 2006 he marked his 100th Test with innings of 120 and 143 not out against South Africa in Sydney. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in April named Ponting one of its five Cricketers of the Year, and in November he was acknowledged as the most prolific and consistent batsman in the game when he became the International Cricket Council Player of the Year and, for the third time, the ICC Test Player of the Year.

      The glut of runs was a powerful response to a less-welcome statistic as Ponting became the first Australian captain since Allan Border in 1986–87 to experience defeat in an Ashes series. Ponting's captaincy was heavily criticized, but the right-handed batsman's innings of 156 in the third Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, was a true captain's innings that prevented certain defeat in the match if not the series. After the unexpected loss, Ponting led his country to 11 victories in the next 12 Tests, reaffirming Australia's position at the top of the international Test table.

      Ricky Thomas Ponting was born on Dec. 19, 1974, in Launceston, Tasmania. He scored four centuries for the Under-13s in a Tasmanian cricket week and two more when promoted to the Under-16 team. By the age of 20, he had made his Test debut (scoring 96) and had been hailed as the new Don Bradman, though Ponting's nickname, “Punter,” reflected his more cavalier approach to life and cricket as well as his love of greyhound racing. A maiden Test century came effortlessly at Leeds on the 1997 tour of England, but Ponting had to conquer problems with alcohol and indiscipline before he could begin to fulfill his enormous talent. When he focused on working at his game, he flourished, and his ability to score runs quickly was a key factor in Australia's dominance over the next decade.

      At his best, Ponting seemed unstoppable, with quickness of hand and eye and a knack for making a complex game seem almost too simple. In 2002 he was rewarded with the captaincy of Australia's one-day international side, and the next year he led the side to victory in the World Cup in South Africa, scoring 140 not out in the final against India. When Test captain Steve Waugh retired in 2004, Ponting was his natural successor.

      In 2006 Ponting was at the height of his powers and seemed to be on course to break all run-scoring records in Test cricket. Meanwhile, in November he led Australia to another one-day title in the Champions Trophy and then welcomed the England side to Australia for a much-anticipated Ashes rematch.

Andrew Longmore

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▪ Australian cricketer

in full  Ricky Thomas Ponting 

born Dec. 19, 1974, Launceston, Tasmania, Austl.

      Australian cricketer, who was the country's premier batsman in the 1990s and 2000s.

      Ponting gained a reputation as a cricket prodigy when he scored four centuries (a century is 100 runs in a single innings) for the Under-13s in a Tasmanian cricket week and two more when promoted to the Under-16 team. By age 20 he had made his Test (international match) debut and had been hailed by some as the new Don Bradman (Bradman, Don), who was considered by many the best cricketer of the 20th century. A maiden Test century came at Leeds on the 1997 tour of England. Ponting was criticized for his inconsistent performances early in his career (caused, in part, by off-field personal troubles), but, after rededicating himself to the sport, he became a key factor in Australia's dominance in international cricket over the next decade.

      In 2002 he was rewarded with the captaincy of Australia's one-day international side, and the next year he led the side to victory in the World Cup in South Africa, one of three World Cups won by Australia with Ponting on the squad (1999, 2007). When Test captain Steve Waugh retired in 2004, Ponting was his natural successor. In 2005, Australia lost to England in the first Ashes series under Ponting's leadership. Ponting followed this with an impressive 2005–06 season wherein he scored 1,483 runs (an average of 78 per match), including seven centuries. In January 2006 he marked his 100th Test with innings of 120 and 143 not out against South Africa in Sydney. Later that year he was named the International Cricket Council Player of the Year and, for the third time, the ICC Test Player of the Year.

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