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Ricky
Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting (born December 19, 1974,
in Launceston, Tasmania) is an Australian cricketer
and current captain of the Australia national
cricket team (for both One Day International and
Test cricket). Ponting is also a member of the
Tasmanian Tigers, a side he plays for intermittently,
having been based in Sydney for several years.
He is a specialist right-hand batsman, slips and
close catching fielder, as well as a very occasional,
right-arm medium pace bowler.
Ponting
reached international standards at a young age
for a batsman, making his One Day International
debut in early 1995 and making his Test debut
at the end of the year aged 20. However, his progress
was not unhindered. He lost his place in the team
several times due to lack of form and discipline
issues, before rising to the ODI captaincy in
early 2002 and becoming Test captain in early
2004. As of March 2008, he is the second highest
ranked ODI batsman and ranked third amongst Test
batsman in the ICC ratings. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Key
achievements
Ricky
Ponting is considered one of the best cricketers
in modern cricket, and is ranked 2nd in the One-Day
International Batting chart. He has scored over
9,500 Test runs at an average near 60, but since
the February 2002 tour of South Africa (when he
was elevated to the ODI team captaincy) he has
scored 24 of his Test centuries and averaged above
74, leading to comparisons with Sir Donald Bradman.
Ponting
is also Australia's leading ODI run-scorer and
century maker he has the second most centuries
ever, behind only Tendulkar. His century against
the West Indies in Jaipur at the 1996 Cricket
World Cup made him the youngest ever World Cup
centurion, and his unbeaten 140 against India
in the 2003 Cricket World Cup final was the highest
by a captain in a World Cup final. In 2007 Cricket
World Cup match against South Africa at St Kitts,
Ponting became the first Australian to reach 10,000
runs in ODI Cricket and the 7th in world cricket
to achieve this distinction.
Like
many Australian batsmen, Ricky Ponting is particularly
strong against pace bowling, with the full array
of back foot shots, including the pull, hook,
and square cut. Early on, he was regarded as a
near-compulsive hooker, but he has lately moderated
this tendency. He tends to move across his off
stump, and has therefore been regarded as vulnerable
to LBW early in his innings. He is less adept
against spin bowling, particularly on very helpful
spinning pitches such as those in India where
his average is just 12.28.
After
his first 30 Tests in just under four years his
average was 38.62, and after rising into the mid-40s
had dipped again to 40.50 after 45 Tests. Since
that time his average has consistently risen;
his averages in recent calendar years are 70.93
in 2002, 100.20 in 2003, 41.00 in 2004, 67.13
in 2005 and 88.86 in 2006.
Ponting
occasionally bowls medium pace, and has also experimented
with off-spin. He is an outstanding fieldsman
square of the wicket or at silly point, with fast
reactions and hand-eye coordination and (especially
in the one-day game) a reputation for hitting
the stumps to run out opposition batsmen. A report
prepared by Cricinfo in late 2005 showing that
since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected
the second highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket
of any fieldsman, with the sixth highest success
rate.
Endorsements
* Ponting has appeared in promotional advertisements
for National Foods's Pura Milk, Rexona, Medibank
Private, Victoria Bitter, Valvoline, KFC, Swisse
and Weet-Bix.
* In 2007 Ponting signed a deal with India's ING
Vysya Bank whereby customers starting an account
with the bank went into a draw to win a dinner
date with the Australian.
* He was the face of Codemasters's Ricky Ponting
International Cricket 2005 and reprised his role
for the 2007 version.
Personal
life
With
the large financial rewards of international cricket,
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 names 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 2002. He has himself
credited her as a reason for the maturity evident
in his game in recent years. Ponting is a keen
supporter - and number one ticket holder - of
the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian
Football League. On 9 August 2007, Ponting appeared
on The AFL Footy Show where he talked about his
desire to become a Kangaroos board member.[65]
Ricky and wife Rianna have a superstitious liking
for the number 14. On 26 February 2008, Ponting
and his wife Rianna announced that they expecting
their first child.
Books
Authored or co-authored
* Ricky Ponting (2007). Captain's Diary 2007.
HarperCollins Publishers Australia. ISBN 0-7322-8153-9.
* Ricky Ponting; Geoff Armstrong (2006). Captain's
Diary 2006. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
ISBN 0-7322-8153-9.
* Ricky Ponting; Brian Murgatroyd (2005). Ashes
Diary. HarperCollins Publishers Australia. ISBN
0-7322-8152-0.
* Ricky Ponting; Brian Murgatroyd (2004). Ricky
Ponting's World Cup Diary. HarperCollins Publishers
Australia. ISBN 0-7322-7847-3.
* Ricky Ponting; Peter Staples (1998). Ricky Ponting.
Ironbark Press. ISBN 0-330-36117-1. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Articles
Controversy
could fatten Ponting's bank balance
Profiles
Cricket
Speakers
Mediaman does not represent Ricky Ponting
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