Ponting is a better captain than we think
Roar Guru
By vinay verma, 30 Jul 2009 Vinay Verma is a Roar Guru
Australia's Ricky Ponting is run out for 5 during the One Day International, Australia v New Zealand match at the WACA in Perth, Sunday Feb. 1, 2009. AAP Image/Tony McDonough
Talent is a gift from the Gods. Reputation is man-made and has its price. The currency it is paid in can be courage, conviction or unwavering dedication.
Ricky Ponting has been making down payments since he was “the most exciting teenager in Australian Cricket”, an accolade from no less discerning a man than Rod Marsh.
The original hardwood of Australian cricket, Ricky is hewn from the same timber as the Centurion eucalyptus and Mountain Ash from the Tasmanian forests. Trees reaching 100 metres high and forty centimeters in circumference.
Ponting is not a man driven by records and is almost dismissive of them.
He is aware that he needs only 25 more runs to pass Allan Border as Australia’s highest rungetter, but says “I have bigger fish to fry.”
Speaking to Cricinfo he said he hoped he got a lot more than 25 in Edgbaston. His priority is winning the game and he will, as usual, lead from the front.
This is his working class ethos. He rolls up his sleeves and gets his hands dirty.
Captaincy has not dimmed his potency and he has scored 17 of his 38 hundreds since assuming the leadership from Steve Waugh. Ian Chappell has been mildly critical of his captaincy, but is unreserved in his praise of Ricky’s batsmanship, calling him a “great temperament … counter attacking … and wonderful all round fieldsman.”
Chappell also picked him and Johnson as the only Australians if a World XI were picked in March 2009.
Ponting is the second most successful captain in the history of the game, with 38 wins from 58 tests. Only Steve Waugh, with 41 wins from 57 Tests, has a higher win percentage (72%).
Detractors of this record point to Edgbaston 2005, Sydney 2008 and Nagpur 2008 as the blots on his copybook.
Jason Gillespie is quoted as saying Ponting would have been justified in 2005 if Australia had held their chances.
Sydney 2008 had many heroes, villians, bungling officials and emotive commentators. This is for another time and another place.
Nagpur 2008 exposed Australia’s bowling weakness and intensified the scrutiny on Ponting’s captaincy. Border has since remarked that captaincy is also a reflection of “the cattle you have.”
Former captains abound in the airconditioned commentary boxes around the world and Edgbaston is no different. It is easier to duck a bouncer when you have a mic in your hand and are 200 meters from the action.
Alexander Pope, in “An Essay on Criticism,” said “fools rush in where angels fear to tread” and “a little learning is a dangerous thing.”
He was in essence saying, judge the entire work and not isolated incidents.
Ponting is into his fifth year as Test captain and seventh as the One Day captain. He is a three time World Cup winner and twice as captain.
For over a decade he has been Australia’s premier batsman and has won away Test series’ in every country except England and Pakistan. (Gilchrist was the nominal captain in India 2004 as Ponting watched injured from the dressing rooms).
History, I suspect, will judge Ponting more kindly than some of you.
Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.
Do you have what it takes to become a sports writer? Write for the roar
Cricket articles
- What we do and don’t know about our Baggy Greens (112)
- Success of Twenty20 spells trouble for ODI cricket (106)
- Channel 9 commentators an annoyance this summer (99)
- Media should call stumps on Rodney Hogg (93)
- One Day Cricket is suffering from Middle Child Syndrome (89)
- Cricket Australia must take a stand against racist spectators (86)
- Dave’s Warner-ful switch-hit panned by precious critics (84)
- Australia vs Sri Lanka, Perth ODI: cricket live scores, commentary (130)
- Hall of Fame for Indian legend Gavaskar
- Sri Lanka to target ‘weak’ Aussie bowlers
- India backing Rohit Sharma to find form
- Game-by-game preview of round 19
- Twenty20 cricket not up to the test (5)
- Like father, like son: Alister McDermott on a fast track to the Test team (30)
- Australia vs Sri Lanka, Perth ODI: cricket live scores, commentary (130)
- Twenty20 cricket not up to the test (5)
- Pakistan’s win over England a triumph of character (21)
- Steve Waugh is right about cricket’s succession plan (5)
- India vs Sri Lanka, Perth ODI: cricket live scores, commentary (180)
- Let’s talk about selection, Test fans (28)
- Pakistan win shows what’s beautiful about the game (13)
Kersi Meher-Homji said | July 30th 2009 @ 7:25am | Report comment
Vinay,
On figures Ponting looks a successful skipper. However, I would not rank him very high. He inherited a successful side from Steve Waugh who in turn had inherited a top team from Mark Taylor.
To me, Richie Benaud, Allan Border and ‘Tubby’ Taylor were great captains because they moulded struggling XIs into winning units. To this list I should add Steve Waugh at both Test and at Fifty50 levels. Australia winning the 1999 World Cup in England was thanks to Steve’s magic with the bat and a high IQ. Especially against South Africa in Super 6 and in the epic semi-final.
Australia not winning the Cardiff Test this year was because of Ponting’s low IQ.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | July 30th 2009 @ 7:43am | Report comment
To the above list of Australia’s great post-WW II cricket captains, I should have added Ian Chappell.
Chop said | July 30th 2009 @ 8:25am | Report comment
Kersi,
I don’t know you can emphatically say ‘Australia not winning the Cardiff Test this year was because of Ponting’s low IQ’
Even had Ponting bowled Johnson and Hilfenhaus the batsman may have survived.
I completely agree with Ian Chappell that Ponting is one of Australia’s best batsman and I love watching him bat, but in the field sometimes I do sit there thinking ‘What are you doing?’.
In saying that, Border, Taylor and Waugh had a much better bowling line-up through out the years so that may be a bit unfair. Personally, he’s a truely great batsman and an OK captain.
sheek said | July 30th 2009 @ 8:18am | Report comment
Kersi,
Phew….. glad you remembered Ian Chappell!
I’ve been inclined to oscillate in my views on Ponting, mainly because I don’t follow the game as closely as I once used to.
Statistically, he is the best bat after Bradman. And as a captain, next to Steve Waugh in percentage wins. Ponting’s a good captain, but not a great captain.
There’s an irony here. Generally speaking, I think the calibre of Aussie cricket captains is higher than other cricketing nations. Each nation has their standouts, but Australia just seems to have more of them.
Ponting appears to be on a par with say Bobby Simpson & Lindsay Hassett, whose captaincy was considered solid rather than spectacular.
BTW, famous Aussie journalist/writer Jack Pollard, in a cricket book he wrote in 1995 (just as Taylor assumed the captaincy) rated Monty Noble as the best ever Aussie cricket captain.
Make of that what you will!
vinay verma said | July 30th 2009 @ 8:54am | Report comment
Chop..we continue to agree and the moon will remain full till the cat jumps over it
Kersi..mild disagreement here Benaud and Taylor did not take over struggling XI’s. Benaud took over a winning team from Ian Craig(who had just won 3-0 in South Africa) and had players like MacDonald,Harvey,ONeill,Burge Davidson,Simpson,Meckiff and Kline and won 4-0 in his first series as Captain.
Taylor took over a winning side from Border. In fact Border could wee be the defining Captain post Packer.He did have a struggliing side but turned it around with the World Cup in 1987 and the Chennai Tied Test.
But when you talk of Great Captains I put Richie Benaud and Ian Chappell at the forefront. The legacy they left is that the Player finally became the focal point. Cricketers found a voice and Administrators started ducking for cover. I would go so far as to say that the riches and comforts enjoyed by todays cricketers are in no small measure due to the “revolution” started by Benaud and continued by Ian Chappell.
Sheek…Ian Chappell was the one man that consistently stood up to Sir Donald for better pay. I am reminded of Dicken’s Oliver where he asks for more porridge and the bully says ” What! More porridge.”
Cricket Administrators are sometimes like accountants. They would not have a job if there was no product sold.
sheek said | July 30th 2009 @ 9:31am | Report comment
Vinay,
It’s interesting That Chappelli is revered by many of his team mates so long after their careers ended. He stood up for the players against management, & was willing to put his neck on the chopping block.
Kerry O’Keeffe has been mildly critical, suggesting Chappelli didn’t do enough to support him during his ‘darker’ days. While younger player like Yallop & Cosier struggled for his respect. But overwhelmingly, the majority of players under his captaincy would follow him almost anywhere.
A true leader who led from the front.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | July 30th 2009 @ 9:14am | Report comment
It was under Taylor that the invincible Windies appeared vulnerable in 1995.
That was the start of another new and successful era for Australia. And the beginning of the end for the boys from the Caribbean.
Rickety Knees said | July 30th 2009 @ 9:25am | Report comment
I don’t agree – he is a great batsman but just an OK skipper. He is a one dimensional captain that revels in the one day game and uses the same tactics for tests. He lacks a true understanding of spin bowling and how to use it to his advantage. Ponting had particularly poor captaincy matches in Nagpur, Melbourne (v SA), Perth (v SA) and now Cardiff.
ozziejag said | July 30th 2009 @ 10:44am | Report comment
To me Allan Border was the gutsiest Australian Test Captain of all,
He battled away for years with an ordinary team getting flogged most of the time unless he was able to bat through the innings & salvage an honourable draw.
Then the wheel turned & with a team of budding champions he got to the top.
” Every dog has his day ” I said to him at the G one day.
Brian said | July 30th 2009 @ 10:58am | Report comment
Ponting has been Australia’s premier batsman for a decade but that does not make him a good captain. As said by Rickety he lacks an understanding of using spin bowling, his handling of the media is poor at best and he has not proven himself to be a quick thinker in regards to game situations eg. Bating power plays, approaches to T20, Edgebaston, Nagpur etc.
What is true is his fine record, however he took over a team with Hayden, Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath and himself in it. Thats probably 5 greats of Aussie cricket plus very good players such as Langer, Clarke, Lee etc. Again Ponting a great batsman and brilliant fielder, it just doesn’t make him a good captain.
Chop said | July 30th 2009 @ 11:11am | Report comment
The selectors have just dropped the ashes…..
Phil Hughes dropped as Ashes opener
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25856440-601,00.html
Phil Hughes has been dropped from the Australian side and replaced by Shane Watson for tonight’s third Test.
No official announcement has been made, but sources close to the team told The Australian the young batsman has lost his position after just five Tests and been replaced by the all-rounder.
The selectors have hit the panic button after the Hughes in the first three innings of the Test series with scores of 36, 4 and 17.
It is an incredible fall from grace for the 20 year old who starred in his first three Tests and arrived in England with an average of 69 after three stunning games on debut in South Africa, that included two centuries in his second Test.
Selectors were anxious that England’s bowlers, had found a weakness in Hughes ability to deal with the short body-line delivery after he fell to the same ball in tour and Test matches.
The side was anxious to bring in another bowler to help putty up the gaps in the attack caused by Mitchell Johnson’s terrible form.
The fragile Watson can bowl fast and batted well in the tour game after yet another injury setback.
Watson made 84 and 50 in the match against Northampton. Hughes failed in the first innings but scored a lucky 68 in the second.
He has opened for Queensland but is known to be concerned about having to back up and do the job after bowling which will test his fitness.
Hughes will be devastated by the set back and told Fox Sports before the Test that he was happy with the way he plays the short ball.
“I’m fine, that’s how I’ve always played it,” the batsman said before receiving the news.
“I’m not going to change things right now, half way through a series and I won’t. There’s things that I will be adapting to, a couple of things I want to change.
“I’m a little bit disappointed about not playing well in the first Tests but I can turn things around.”
Hughes admitted that English bowler Andrew Flintoff had been hard to handle.
“I see it as a challenge and it definitely has been, he’s bowling beautifully, I suppose their whole unit has them coming out pretty well and you’ve got to really adapt to that,” he said.
sheek said | July 30th 2009 @ 11:57am | Report comment
Chop,
Almost every great Aussie batsman was dropped early in his career – Bradman (once – 12th man), Harvey (48 tour, omitted first 3 tests), G.Chappell ( 2 World XI internationals 71/72 – 12th man), Border (once – 12th man), S.Waugh (90/91, for brother Mark), Ponting (96/97).
Hughes will be back, better than ever!
I also agree with retaining Mitchell. With his emotional problems, he’s better just playing as much cricket as he can.
For the 3rd test, we’re looking at a bowling attack of Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Hauritz, either Siddle/Clark/McDonald & Watson.