Ricky Ponting’s press conference yesterday raised more questions than it answered. It was thought that his axing from Australia’s One Day International (ODI) squad had precipitated his retirement from all forms of the game.
Instead he declared himself eligible for the Test team; an admirable but potentially misguided decision.
John Inverarity had remarked the previous day that he hoped Ponting would continue to play Test match cricket.
I can see why Australian cricket still wants Ponting – no one in Shield cricket has demanded his spot – Shaun Marsh and Khawaja have failed at test level and Peter Forrest has a very meager first class record.
Moreover Ponting himself is still fit and hungry and has become a valued elder in the dressing room. But I can’t really understand his motivation to play on. It is admirable and not out of character for a guy who has refused to give in or give up throughout his illustrious career.
No doubt his good form against the Indians this summer was the reason for Inverarity’s comments and Ponting’s willingness to go on. But that form line might be an illusion.
As we know Ponting had not made a century in the previous two years and made his centuries this summer on very flat pitches in Sydney and Adelaide against an insipid Indian bowling attack that had virtually given up after being plundered by the Poms and the Aussies in successive test series.
Kerry O’Keefe on ABC Radio yesterday made the observation that Ponting’s reaction times seem to have slowed a little meaning that he will still struggle against good fast bowling on pitches that are doing a bit.
To take this line of thinking further – the only possible motivation to go on for Ponting is to finish on a high by being part of a successful Ashes campaign in England in 2013. He has unfinished business there.
However, it is doubtful he will last that long and even if he does – the conditions and bowlers in that series are likely to expose a batsman whose reflexes are not what they once were. Precisely the conditions O’Keefe was referring to.
Ponting got dropped from the one day team and now risks the same fate in the test arena. It is a selfless act to go on. On that note – it is worth mentioning the qualities in Ponting that have come to the surface in the twilight of his career.
In his hey-day he was aggressive with umpires, at times short with the media and seemingly unconscious of his own short comings. Yet his dethroning as captain has revealed a character with much less ego than we all expected.
Therefore whatever damage he may do to his legacy by playing on will be offset by the character he continues to reveal. Put simple, Ponting has become very likeable.
Finally it would be remiss not to reflect on the end of his ODI career. He is second only to the great Tendulkar in total runs scored at 13704. His average (42.03) and strike rate (80.39) are both world class. He loved the big stage – having won Three World Cups and captained two of them.
In full-flight he may have been the best ODI player the game has seen. You always knew that when he sliced the off side with a perfect cover drive or jumped on a pull shot in the first few balls – the opposition was in trouble and some first class entertainment was on offer.
Of his many innings the 140 not out from 121 balls (in a total of 359) in the 2003 World Cup Final against India sticks in my mind.
Even more precious is his legacy in the Test game. I hope that both the selectors and Ponting himself can reach an end befitting of the man.
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