He’s too old, he’s past his use-by date, he should have quit last year, he should have been sacked. And now he’s a national hero again. Ricky Ponting’s 40th Test century was a long time coming – two years.
But when it came, it was like Paul Keating’s 1993 election victory, perhaps the sweetest of all.
It always is when the cynics doubt you and the knockers death-wish you.
It was enjoyed, what’s more, by a crowd that included the PMs before and after Keating, Bob Hawke and John Howard.
Ponting’s successor as captain, Michael Clarke, went one better, scoring a maiden Test double century that was more imperious and assured but perhaps not as compelling.
Such was the focus on Ponting’s plight it is likely to be the only 200 Clarke ever makes in parenthesis.
Ponting silenced his critics with a determined ton that broke his yawning drought, propelled Australia well down the path of a Test and series win against India and underlined his status as his country’s greatest Test run-scorer.
It very nearly didn’t happen.
On 99, Ponting clipped a delivery to mid-on, took off for the make-or-break single and dived headlong for the crease.
A direct hit by Zaheer Khan would have caught him short by a metre. It missed by centimetres.
Ponting, a weight off his shoulders, thrust both arms in the air and began celebrations that must have seemed like a distant memory.
He waved his bat to his team-mates and to his wife Rianna and daughters Emmy and three-month-old Matisse.
At 37 years old, he may be the daddy of the Australian team, but with a good deal of the SCG turf dirtying his shirt front, he wore the impish grin of a cheeky schoolboy.
The cheers of an appreciative crowd turned to good-natured wolf whistles when a bare-chested Ponting changed his grubby shirt.
“To tell the truth, I’m a bit relieved,” he said later.
“The selectors have stuck by me, and now I’m repaying them.”
Ponting’s wife suggested his decision to relinquish the Test captaincy last year may have contributed to his rejuvenated form this summer.
“It’s completely changed our life,” she told the Nine Network.
“He’s more relaxed. He’s a better dad – a better husband.
“We always felt a big score was around the corner. There’s no plans to retire – hopefully there’s another big score just around the corner after this.”
Players like Ponting don’t rewrite record books without having a taste for grinding opponents into the dust, and that’s what he and Clarke did.
After coming together when Australia were a perilous 3-37, they turned the game on its head with a mammoth fourth-wicket partnership of 288.
With Australia already leading the four-Test series 1-0, Ponting and Clarke not only steered the hosts out of danger but set them on their way to a commanding, and probably match-winning, lead.
me too
Guest
you stick to watching and ranting, ponting can stick to batting. everyone's happy.
Rhys
Guest
He's scored 'a century' in one day cricket in recent times - albeit an important one against India in the last World Cup. His century in this Test has bought him some time. If he can produce more of the same all well and good, but another year like the last three (2009 - average 38.77, 2010 - average 36.95, 2011 - average 31.92) and his retention would be unwarranted. It would also mean that Australia's most prolific Test run scorer will have finished his career with four consecutive years averaging under 40. Not even Ponting would want to finish that way. Then again if he can average 50+ for 2012 it would go someway to erasing the mediocrity of the last 3 years. I guess time will tell either way.
Swampy
Guest
Ponting was dropped after his early failures in test cricket. He went back to the shield and scored imperiously to the point he couldn't be ignored by the selectors. This is what happened to Hayden, langer and to a lessor extent Katich. This is what Hughes, Khawaja or any other fringe player needs to do. The only one that has knocked down the door with a ton of runs has been Ed Cowan. Let us not forget Khawaja's shield averages have been skewed but a couple of very large scores and that his consistency wasn't as good as his average. In a choice between a guy that has shown some promise but is yet to deliver and a guy who has 13,000+ test runs against his name it is an easier selection than some would think. Let's not forget that Ponting has scored centuries in one day cricket in recent times - if we can pick Shaun Marsh based on one domestic T20 game then surely the recent one day world cup could rank slightly higher in meaning for selection. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
St Mark W
Guest
Spot on 'Red Kev'! Completely agree with what you say. Congratulations to Ricky Ponting on a well compiled century. Given enough opportunities the right circumstances were always likely to add to your impressive tally. Every Test century is a significant achievement. The significance of any century is however more about match context: Is Ponting's 134 in a score 500+ more significant than David Warner's 123 of 233? Which performance deserves longer term retention in the Australian test team? What happens if, as is possible, Clarke goes on to 350+ and Hussey to 200+? What if Tendulka, Dravid and Laxman all come out and score 150+ to save the Test match? Would Khawaja have scored even more? In the next 30 Test innings who is realistically likely to score more runs? Is it actually the Ponting devotees who need to take a closer look at the facts and not take a single innings out of context to proclaim the return of the 'great one' to his best form?
AndyS
Guest
I don't disagree that Ponting's time should be drawing to a close and a replacment stepping up. But said replacements are not exactly battering the door down and, for the moment, I am just happy to see a batsmen who seems to remember what Test batting looks like. Unsurprising though that the only ones that do are the more experienced players, and I thought the commentators made a good observation on the first day - that the younger players are suffering from never having played on lively tracks. Due to the cricketing worlds 10 year obsession with preparing roads for all levels of the game, with big hits have been seen as what makes a good game, there are big holes in the techniques of all the likely replacements and repairing that may take some time. Even then though, it is not a skill thing, it is temperament. Someone needs to tell Warner that his first and foremost responsibility is to mess up the new ball. The runs will come, all the more so if he is still there once the shine goes off. Even a little discrimination would go a long way, as it is not necessary to try and belt every ball...
Red Kev
Guest
I would have nothing to say if Ponting would stop coming out in the press saying he wants to play until he's 40 after the back to back Ashes or after Australia has regained the number one test ranking. His refusal to acknowledge that he will have to retire is the problem.
Mark
Guest
Red Kev I couldn't have said it better myself!!! Most Batsmen will get a century if you have been there long enough and all of a sudden he has earnt his spot in the team. Bollocks!!! -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Vas Venkatramani
Guest
Right now while the Test is up for grabs, I'm not thinking about Ponting's failure to score a ton in the previous 34 innings. I'm just enjoying the fact he scored one now while under pressure. Let the net snipers do their thing once the Test is over (and hopefully won). We still need 10 Indian wickets...
Red Kev
Guest
I cannot, but John Inverarity can and should.
Red Kev
Guest
Why? Does one good innings erase 2 years of mediocrity now? As the saying goes even a broken clock is right twice a day - it is hardly surprising that given 34 innings Ponting has scored a century.
Vas Venkatramani
Guest
Drop the anti-Ponting agenda for now Kev. He's just scored a crucial hundred from a perilous position of 3/37. Let's enjoy that for what that is while this Test goes on. The result isn't ours yet.
Bamee
Guest
Let Ponting retire when he wants!You can't force him to retire!He's a great batsman!
Red Kev
Guest
Yes PROTECT the newer batsmen instead of hiding behind them. Marsh and Khawaja should be at 5 and 6 (although I have my doubts about Marsh being a long-term test batsman) and if Ponting wants to stay and help rebuild Australia's lineup he needs to protect the young batsmen by batting at three. You don't start batsmen at no.3 - not even Ponting did that. And incidentally the only time Ponting has been in within 3 overs was in both second innings against South Africa - batting at 3 in the second innings collapse at Newlands, and batting at 4 at Wanderers when both Hughes and Watson failed. Ponting went 33 innings between his centuries at 32.44 In that time Marcus North's average was 33.62 with 2 centuries. In that time Simon Katich's average was 45.80 with 1 century. Both were dropped. In that time Khawaja's Sheffield Shield Career since the start of the 2009/10 season is 26 innings at an average of 62.43. Since when does "being given a chance and getting nowhere" describe four tests at number 3 with one single figure dismissal and one half-century? Players are not consistently being given anything. In the first six tests of 2011 Khawaja did better than Ponting but Khawaja was dropped. Ponting's continued selection is a disgrace.
Brendon
Guest
Protect newer batsmen? He regularly is in to bat in the first 3 overs regardless.. He isn't keeping anyone out at the moment.. Players are consistently being given chances and getting nowhere under pressure. Let's get a settled and consistent top 3 and then he can retire. There is no point in having the top 4 being so inexperienced jut for the sake of it -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Red Kev
Guest
He should be forced out if he's not going to retire. If he is gonna stay he has to step up and take no.3 to protect the newer batsmen.
Red Kev
Guest
And just because you can't see any fault with him doesn't mean he deserves to stay. Ponting just spoke to the media: "There is nothing else personally I'm striving to achieve other than to help the Australian cricket team win games and get up from No.5 to the top of the tree, where we deserve to be." That is why he has to go. He was given a shot at 21, now all he is doing is keeping deserving players out of the cricket team. Ponting had a great debut - he had 2 half centuries in his first two innings against Sri Lanka on very flat pitches against very mediocre attacks. In his next 8 innings he posted 4 single figure scores. His average after 6 tests was 33.00. If he debuted now he'd be axed.
Brendon
Guest
The guy just scored a hundred.. Just cause u hav a problem with him red keV doesn't mean he deserves to go -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Red Kev
Guest
He’s too old - yes. He’s past his use-by date - yes. He should have quit last year - yes. He should have been sacked - YES! He's got a long way to go before he can consider he's paid back the selector's faith. In the 17 test matches between his centuries he posted 12 single digit scores (including 4 ducks) in 32 innings at an average of 30.61. Simon Katich and Marcus North were dropped with far better figures than those. Imagine how Khawaja's record would look after 32 innings (after 11 he still only has 2 single figure scores and one of those is not out in a run chase). The most concerning comment is this: "There’s no plans to retire – hopefully there’s another big score just around the corner after this.” The idea of taking Ponting to the next Ashes is ridiculous. Australia needs to establish it's batting lineup before that series not during it. Someone needs to tell Punter to pack his bags and go home, it has been clear since the end of the last Ashes when he relinquished the captaincy and was still retained despite a series average of 16.14 that he'd have to be dragged kicking and screaming into retirement. I hope for the sake of Australian cricket that John Inverarity his the vision and fortitude to announce Ponting's retirement, he certainly has both the authority and the imperative to do so.