From WACA to WACA – Ricky Ponting’s journey to glory – Opinion
At last the inevitable happened. Although http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Test ranking.
Fittingly, it all ends where he once started on his way to International stardom, as a 20-year-old. His first Test came against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 at the WACA, where he narrowly missed out on a century, and will be hoping to finish it this time around. While that decision had been forthcoming, it was certainly not on the cards following a successful return to the Sheffield Shield, where Punter displayed enough potential to suggest that he is still up for the task. However, failures in the opening two clashes reignited the debate, and although he got the desired backing from his teammates and the selectors, Ponting knew his time had come.
“I've had moments of really good stuff, and prolonged moments of cricket that's been below my expectations and below a par level for me, so there hasn't been one dismissal or one moment, it's just been in my own eyes reasonably consistent failure. That's why I believe the time is right now to be making this decision.”
By his own admission, he had performed poorly and let his team, and more importantly, himself down. Still his commitment could be gauged from the fact that he was not ready to revel in his past glories, as the matter of Test supremacy delicately hangs in the balance.
Often hiding his emotional side, he gave nothing away, knowing that the players will need to pick themselves up following a mammoth effort in the drawn Adelaide Test, and no one, but he himself must be in good shape after a disappointing time with the bat. His passion for the game is the same, his knowledge is superior to any member of the current team, but his output had considerably diminished, and his technique became vulnerable. The effect his imminent retirement will have on the team remains to be seen. Surely he is looked up to as a symbol of success by many of the Aussie players, having guided the team to two World Cup successes, along with earning all sorts of individual records en route to amassing a whopping 13366 Test runs at a consistent average of 52.21.
Certainly, his successor, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942.
While Ponting and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 may not have the time to reflect back on a glittering career, it is certainly appropriate for us to pay tribute to arguably Australia’s greatest captain, if not player (Don Bradman), as his legacy stands, this one will be hard to beat..
As much as he wanted to bring back the Ashes, he remains a realist, and a true gentleman of the game. For his fans, he will certainly carry on performing for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tasmania-c854 and will further feature in the Big Bash League, but as far as his international aspirations are concerned, they will come to an end, where once it all started in the summer of 1995.
“I know I've given cricket my all. It's been life for 20 years. Not much more I can give.”
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: