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.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Severian--I can tell from your comments that you think about the game and you make your points very well. I have a few observations: 1. Ponting has less at his disposal than say India and South Africa. The other teams he has enough to overcome. If you take the pace South Africa with Steyn,Ntini(not much longer) Parnell,the two Morkels and Abdulla have the edge. The spinners cancel each other as Harris is pedestrian. India with Sharma,Zaheer,RP Singh are close to Australia. India's spinners are second only to Sri Lanka. Batting wise Australia is just shaded by India. 2. Casson and Krezja are not upto International class and were found wanting. Krejza's wickets in India were expensive and were more the batsmen getting themselves out. The one wicket he really desrved was Dravid. That ball bounced and turned. But he is loose and needs to practice for hours on end to get to Test Level. I personally think he was given an extended bowl by Ponting but the guy is not good enough at the moment. If he wants to be a good spinner he has to practice and practice till his fingers bleed. He has the talent but that is only 10% of what is required. The great batsmen and bowlers practice for hours on end. Cameron White is a good first class batsman and a reasonable one day bowler. A Test spinner he is not. I agree it was a self defeating selection.
Dave
Guest
Ponting is the one who kept faith with Symonds so that he was picked in the 2003 world cup and finally came good.
Severian
Guest
No doubt the quality of players is the most important factor in how a skipper is judged. You could make a strong argument that Steve Waugh was never truly tested as a captain, because he always had a team overflowing with world class players. His ultra aggressive tactics were perfect for that team, but how would he have gone with a more modestly talented crew? On the rare occasion where a more conservative approach was called for, Waugh found it difficult to adapt. Ponting has had the bad luck to preside over an Australian team transitioning from the Hayden-Gilchrist-Warne-McGrath era, so it's probably fair to say the job is harder for him than it was for other Aussie captains in the last 20 years, but he's still got more weapons at his disposal than most teams in the world. He doesn't use them well, even by those normal captaincy standards. Look at the way he runs the rookie spinners, demanding they perform to a very high level from their first game (Casson, who looks to have been ruined by his test experience). He expected an attacking bowler like Krejza to be able to turn around and bowl defensively straight away at test level, even though the guy had never done that in his first class career. When Krejza proved unable to do that in his second test in Perth, Ponting still wouldn't give him the men around the bat and in the slips he needed to be of some use...but kept bowling him anyway. Krejza goes for 200 runs from 50 odd overs in a match where everyone else was going for 2 and 3 per over, Australia loses the test, and another young bowler has his heart ripped out on the way to being thrown on the scrap heap. Or in India last year, when some of the only effective bowling being delivered by Australia was short and at the body (despite the flat wickets), but Ponting wouldn't use a short leg. One thing he should be criticized the most heavily for is his backing his mates for positions in the team when it wasn’t warranted. The difference between when Ponting and S.Waugh did it was that Waugh picked the right horses. Obviously Ponting is only one part of the equation the in selection, but it's pretty obvious the reason we saw Andrew Symonds given chance after after disgrace after chance was largely down to the skipper. Now he’s participated in burning the young Hughes, and backed Johnson and Siddle after they failed miserably at Lord's while ignoring a class act like Stuart Clark. Then you have the Cameron White test selections, easily the most brainless and self defeating move made by Aussie management since the mid 80s.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Severian- I agree,that on the surface,Ponting's captaincy appears underwhelming in comparison to the great and good captains of yesteryear and today. My dilemna is that I am loath to criticise the captaincy of great batsmen like Viv,Dravid,Tendulkar and great allrounders like Kapil Dev and Gary Sobers. And Ponting. Invariably,these Captains are faced with leading an inexperienced side and it is a fact that great players find it hard to teach their genius to lesser players. It is also a fact that great players do not make great coaches. Viv and Kapil were unable to transfer their genius to their wards. They seemed to be saying "Just look how I do it" There is a vast chasm between good, great and genius. The point I am making is that the good and great captains had great players. The exception seems to be Brearley . He was a modest batsman but a great captain. In Australia they pick the team first and the captain second. And this is the way modern cricket is going. A captain first has to earn his spot. It took Border a long time to be acknowledged as a good captain. One of the hallmarks of good captaincy is to be able to internalise your emotions. Steve Waugh was adept at this. So too,Mark Taylor. Ponting wears his heart on his sleeve and I dont think this is altogether a bad thing. He has also not learnt to be objective. He supports the misfiring Johnson just as he had supported the errant Symonds. Border was similar in his loyalty towards his soldiers. Is this a burden too heavy that we place on our Captains? You have to win but also win displaying the tactical brilliance of a Nelson or Napoleon? If your soldiers only have the old Winchester and the oppostion an AK47 the disparity is obvious.
Severian
Guest
If it were all about number of wins, Viv Richards would go down in history as a great captain...yet only the most myopic Viv fan would seriously tell you he was anywhere near the same class as his predecessor Clive Lloyd. Ponting has been in charge when Australia got hammered in India, lost to South Africa in Australia, lost a test at Lord's for the first time in 75 years, and he's about to be the only Aussie skipper to lose the Ashes in England twice. He badly underutilized Stuart Clark back when the guy was fit and bowling like the second coming of Glenn McGrath. Australia should have won in Cardiff, but he didn't bowl his most effective seamer in the last hour (Hiflenhaus), and he didn't use Michael Clarke or Katich, prefering 2 very simillar bowlers in North and Hauritz for over after over when neither looked like breaking through, even against the likes of a genuine tail ender like Panesar. He even said after Johnson's terrible performances at Lords and in the Northampton tour match that they hadn't even discussed dropping Johnson. With all due respect to Vinay, who I generally enjoy reading, Ricky Ponting is such a bad captain it almost physically hurts me to watch Australia at times.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Brian- I have no argument with you on any of the points you raise. But because he does not present as well as Tendulkar or Steve Waugh I dont find that a reason to ridicule his captaincy. There was a lot more unpleasantness on the field in the era before Ponting. And to be fair Ponting has tried on numerous occassions to get opposing Captains to accept the fielder's word. But this is now impractical as TV broadcasters focus on every catch and sometimes the picture is at odds with the fielder. I am convinced Strauss thought he took the catch. I am also convinced Hauritz thought the same. Steve Waugh against South Africa. The picture tells a different story. So it is contentious. A lot of onfield drama can be avoided with strong umpiring. It is no good fining people 10%. Hit the captain with a fine of $100000 and you will see the aggro stop. Do you think Javed Miandad was an angel or Lillee or Desmond Haynes? I just find that with Ponting it is a case of dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn't. The ICC should have a standard sanction for any Captain bringing the game into disrepute. Dissent can be a raised eyebrow or an incredelous look. Ponting generally accepts the umpire's decision with more equanimity than most. Sometimes scenes like Bollygate have to happen to put things into perspective. Ricky Ponting ,I believe,has more intelligence than he is given credit for. Lets watch him closely today and the next few weeks. and we will revisit it.
Brian
Guest
I think you've hit the nail on the head except the utter dedication to winning is not the captain's job. I know that sounds ridiculuos but sport does not exist in a vacuum. We expect our captain to play in the right spirit and have the intelligence to adapt to situations. Ponting is dedicated but like Hewitt & Pim Verbeek he needs to understand there is more to leadership and sportsmanship if scenes like Bollygate are to be avoided. Guys like Federer, Rafter, Tendulker, S Waugh all mastered the art of focusing on the field whilst giving the impression they understand that you win some and lose some. The way Ricky carries on and then fronts the media believing his team plays 100% within the spirit of the game does himself no favours.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Whiteline...once you cross the whiteline it is war in the middle.Of course it should be fought under the rules of the Geneva convention. Not always the case though,and this is not the focus of the article as it would mean going though all the wars man has fought. You will notice in my article I said Sydney 2008 was for another time and place. I have my views on this and will write a piece down the track. Former players not connected with Cricket Boards or TV broadcasters are generally open. Current players refer you to their manager or the media manager with the Boards. I presume you are referring to Buchanan and this is another article altogether. Less credit is given to Bob Simpson as his work with Alan Border and Mark Taylor was instrumental in getting back to the basics. Whiteline,I understand the pressures elite cricketers face and more so in a place like India than Australia. And there is always someone (journalists and public) who wants to be a hero in front of his mates. If you are in a public place you take the risk of running into trouble. This is no different to young football players in Australia(in all codes) falling in to the garbage bin. And then you have the attendent problem of binge drinking,inadequate upbringing at home and peer pressure. All this happened a hundred years ago also. It is just that the scutiny and media is blanket 24/7. In closing this piece was to celebrate his onfield courage,conviction and utter dedication to the cause of winning.
Whiteline
Guest
Vinay Captaincy is so much more than what happens on the field. I'm reading between the lines and assume you are saying that people are judging him harshly with regard to his on field exploits - that is your opinion and it's respected by me. But best we not start on his PR skills , character or management of people - that's another article altogether!!!!! If former and current players speak honestly about each other then our perception (both positive and negative) of them in various roles may well be different. Imagine if players were as open in their opinions about each other as they are about the former coach!
sheek
Guest
vinay/Kersi, Apologies for getting off-topic here, but this article ties in with a recent post by Kersi. I had an old clipping from Australian Cricket, whereby they selected their best Australian & England XIs up to 1983. I was stunned to see Keith Miller missing, & this must be the only all-time XI he didn't make, that I've seen! The team (up to 1983) - Victor Trumper, Bill Ponsford, Don Bradman, Neil Harvey, Greg Chappell, Charlie Macartney, Don Tallon(k), Ray Lindwall, Dennis Lillee, Bill O'Reilly, Fred Spofforth. Obviously, Macartney has taken Miller's '6th batsman/5th bowler' spot, as he is the number 2 spinner behind O'Reilly. The pace attack being Lindwall, Lillee & Spofforth. Chappell the only other backup bowler. Bradman favourites Arthur Morris & Clarrie Grimmett were also omitted. The England XI, for interest - WG Grace, Jack Hobbs, Walter Hammond, Denis Compton, Frank Woolley, Ian Botham, Wilfred Rhodes, Godfrey Evans(k), Jim Laker, Fred Trueman, Sydney Barnes. Pretty deep batting. Also deep bowling. Botham, Trueman, Barnes, Hammond & Grace are the pace attack, while Laker, Rhodes & Woolley provide the spin attack. Compton could also roll his arm over. Presumedly Len Hutton would be 12th man, while Harold Larwood & Alec Bedser missed a spot. I would have had Alan Knott as keeper.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Rk-My contention is that Ricky is not as bad as he is made out to be. I say judge him as a whole .Ian chappell made the point that field placings had not changed much since he retired and that the attack in Nagpur (Lee and Kreja) were similar to what he had in Lillee and Mallet. The point to be remembered is that Lee is not a Lillee and Kreja,bless him',is not Mallett. Ozziejag- Yes Border is right up there,see my reply to Kersi above. Brian- the facts are that Benaud took over a winning team from Ian Craig and Steve Waugh took on a winning team from Mark Taylor who in turn took over a winning team from Border. Just think back Taylor inherited Slater,Boon,the two Waughs,Healey,Warne,May and McGrath. Ponting was also an integral part of Waughs Dominators. I am not saying that Ponting is the greatest Australian Captain. I am saying he is certainly not the worst. In fact we need to see how he moulds the team in the next two years.
sheek
Guest
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.
Chop
Roar Guru
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.
Brian
Guest
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.
ozziejag
Guest
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.
sheek
Guest
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.
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
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.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
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.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
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.
Chop
Roar Guru
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.