Ricky Ponting

Name : Ricky Thomas Ponting.

Nick name : Punter.

Date of Birth : 19 December, 1974.

Place of Birth : Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

Batting Style : Right Handed Batsman.

Bowling Style : Right Arm Medium.

Role : Number 3 batsman.

ODI Debut : against South Africa in 1995(15 February).

TEST Debut : against Sri Lanka in 1995(8 December).

Playing Teams : Tasmania, Somerset. Australia (captain) and Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL).

ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL CAREER::

BATTING::

Matches : 298(As on April2008)

Runs : 11026

Best : 164 vs. South Africa@Jo’burg in 2005.

Strike Rate : 93.78

Average : 43.40

100’s : 26

50’s : 63.

BOWLING::

Matches : 298

Wickets : 3

Best figures : 1/12.

Economy : 6.89run’s per over.

Average : 34.66

Catches : 134.

TEST CAREER::

BATTING::

Matches : 118(As on April 2008).

Runs : 10,042.

Best : 257 vs. India at Melbourne in 2003.

Strike Rate : 49.56.

Average : 54.78.

100’s : 35.

50’s : 40.

BOWLING::

Matches : 118*.

Wickets : 5.

Best figures : 1/0.

Economy : 5.37run’s per over.

Average : 46.20.

Catches : 133.

Ponting’s personal information::


Ricky Ponting, who is professional Australian cricketer and current captain of Australian cricket team in Test, ODI and T20 International. His original name is “Ricky Thomas Ponting” was born on December 9, 1974 in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. He also plays for Somerset, Tasmania and for Kolkata Knight Riders. Ponting is a full time professional cricketer, although he is involved with stride sports, a sports management business which is well known for managing some of the biggest name in the AFL-including “Glenn Archer” and “Cameron Mooney”. A well known off-field interest of Ponting’s is betting on horse and greyhound races, revealed by his nickname “Punter”. Ponting is a talented golfer, playing off a handicap of 1.7. Ricky married his long time girlfriend law student “Rianna Jennifer Cantor” in June 2007. He has himself credited her a reason for the maturity evident in his game in recent years. Ponting is keen supporter and number one ticket holder of the North Melbourne Football club in Australian Football League on August 9, 2007. Ponting appeared on “The AFL Footy show”, where he talked about his desire to become a kangaroo’s board member. Ricky and his wife Rianna have a superstitious liking for the number14. On 26 February 2008 Ponting and his wife Rianna announced that they expecting their first child.

Starting from his carrier::

Ponting is specialist right handed batsman started his international career at the young age of 20. He made his ODI and Test Debut in the year 1995. But, when we take his childhood, Ponting studied school at Mow bray Primary and then “Brooks High School” in Launceston. He started playing cricket seriously when he joined “commonwealth Bank cricket Academy” from 1992 to 1993. Ponting played his junior cricket for Mow bray Cricket club. Ponting made his “Sheffield shield” debut at the age of 17 in 1992/93 season after having the school at then he joined Australian Cricket Academy.

After joining Sheffield shield he scored heavily and he was very productive by scoring 782 runs. He was the young player to score first class century and youngest to score centuries in each innings of a match on Australian soil. As he was performing so brilliantly in his Domestic cricket he was in the race of picking for the 1993 Ashes tour. Although he was not selected for the Ashes, he continued his performance in Domestic cricket by scoring tons of runs for his team. Ponting’s domestic performance was rewarded when he was selected for the Australian ODI team to play in quadrangular tournament in New Zealand in early 1995. His top score was 62 against India in Dunedin. He made his Test debut in the 1st Test against Sri Lanka in December 1995 at Perth replacing Greg Blewett. In his 1st Test he made massive 96 against them. Ponting’s performance was increasing match by match so he was picked in the Australian team to attend the 1996 cricket world cup where he batted in the number 3 position. He scored century against West Indies and became the youngest player to score a century in a world cup. Returning at Leeds in July 1997 he scored his first Test century (127). He could not hold his form throughout that season; his form was so good in 98-99 season. So he was drop pen again from the squad though he was permanent fixture in the ODI team throughout this period. When he was back in 99 season touring West Indies he scored brilliant innings in the 3rd Test against opposition. In late 2003, Ponting scored double centuries in back to back Tests against India at Adelaide (242) and at Melbourne (257) which was his career best. Having also scored 206 at Port of Spain earlier in the year, he became only the second player (Sir Donald Brad man the other) to hit 3 double centuries in a calendar year.

After naming him as a captain::

Ponting named as a captain in February 2002, when Steve Waugh undergoing slump performance, so he was dropped. After dropping of Steve, Ponting took over the Waugh’s captaincy a head of the vice Captain Adam Gilchrist. He also named captain of Australian cricket team for the 2003 cricket world cup. The team was undefeated throughout the tournament; they were no where near of losing any match against any opposition. They won the final , in which India were defeated by a record( for world cup final matches 125 runs, featured Ponting’s brilliant 140 from 121 balls). Ponting has captained 154 times in ODI’s in which he has 119 wins and two ties and hold a world record. Ponting captained Australia in 22 world cup matches without defeat.

Ponting named as a Test captain when Steve Waugh retired in early 2004. Till date Ponting captained 39 matches in which he has 31 victories a better ratio of success than any previous Australian captain. He is Seventh for wins among all Test captains. The only time his struggled was in the Ashes 2005 series. Ponting’s team lost to England 2-1, starting the series as favorites. After the series lost there was a lot of criticism towards his captaincy, there were some suggestions from people to step down from the captain and appoint new captain as Shane Warne. Ponting was disappointed and questioned many questions for their defeat against England since 1986-87. But, he was right back, that time the England was touring Australia to play 5 Test match series (Ashes). Australian team Ponting could not digest the last defeat by England in England (Ashes 2005). Ponting made two back to back centuries in 2 Tests (196 and 142) helping Australia to win first 2 Test matches. Australia won Ashes series 5-0 and that against what had been thought to be formidable enemy, the second strongest cricketing team in the world. Ponting named “Man of the series” for the 2006-07 Ashes series after scoring 576 runs at an average of 82.29 including 2 centuries and 2 half centuries

Ponting in Indian premier League(IPL)::

Ponting is player of Kolkata Knight Riders which owned by Shah Rukh Khan and lead by Sourav Ganguly. There were huge expectations from Ponting, as he was great player and tons of runs under his belt, but he disappointed everyone in IPL. He struggled much in IPL, scored only 20 runs in first match, although they won that match by huge margin under the lights of McCollum’s(158* of 73balls). His form continued very badly through out IPL by scoring 0, 1&19 in his 2nd, 3rd and 4th matches. He was paid only 2.1 crores to play in IPL. Ponting was back into his original Australian team after playing only 4 IPL matches, because they has to play Test series against West Indies under his captaincy.


Some Achievements and records of Ponting::

~ Most Test runs (1,544 in 2005) and Test centuries (7 in 206) in a calendar year by an Australian.

~ Most Test centuries (35) behind Sachin Tendulkar (38) and 3 away to equalize Sachin’s world record of Test centuries.

~ Ponting is an individual player to score most ODI runs (11,594), ODI centuries (26) and ODI fifties (63) compared to any other Australian player.

~ Ponting played 4 world cups (1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007) in which under his captaincy they won 2 of 2.

~ Ponting has most victories as ODI captain (122).

~ Under the captaincy of Ponting the Australian team is unbeaten by any other nation in world cup matches (22).

~ Under the captaincy of Ponting the team has consecutive 16 Test victories shared with Steve Waugh (16).

~ He was awarded “Wisden leading cricketer in the world 2003”.

~ He was awarded “Wisden cricketer of the year 2006”.

~ He was awarded “Allan Border Medal” for the years 2004, 2006 and 2007.

~ He was awarded “Australian Test player of the year (2003, 2004 and 2007)”and “ODI player of the year (2002 and 2007).

~ He was awarded “ICC player of the year” for 2006 and 2007 years.

~ He was awarded “ICC Test player of the year 2006”.

~ He was awarded “ICC captain of the year 2007”.

~ Ponting has 14 “Man of the match” awards in Test cricket and 25 in ODI’s.