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A tribute from Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the midst of a fierce parliamentary debate was amongst the plaudits for Ricky Ponting after the announcement of his Test retirement on Thursday.
The 37-year-old revealed his 167-Test career for Australia will come to an end after the third and deciding clash with South Africa in Perth starting on Friday.
It’s extremely rare that sporting news stalls question time in Canberra, but Ms Gillard put her political invective on ice to offer Ponting “a lot of gratitude and a lot of thanks from the Australian community – full as it is with cricket tragics.”
Australian captain Michael Clarke was choked with emotion as he described Ponting’s contribution, while former teammates and bitter rivals were unanimous in their praise for the gritty Tasmanian.
Shane Warne took to Twitter to congratulate Ponting “on an amazing career, well done Punter…Enjoy your last match in Perth buddy, was a pleasure playing with you !!!”
Former Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy said Ponting is “one of the top five batsmen we’ve ever produced and one of the great team men in Australian cricket history.”
Mark Waugh, who shared plenty of time in the middle batting with Ponting during a golden era during the late `90s and early 2000s, said “right from the first game he looked like a class player… (and) he was a great team man.”
But perhaps cricket fans that can picture Ponting as a hardnosed street fighter chirping from short-cover will be surprised by his closest rivals lauding his abrasive attitude.
South African captain Graeme Smith, who was stunned by the audacity of Australia’s sledging during his debut Test series as a 21-year-old, didn’t hold back in his admiration.
“He’s certainly the most competitive man I think I’ve ever played against,” said Smith.
“The way he played the game, the intensity in which he played the game is a credit to him.
“He’s always represented Australia with a lot of dignity and a lot of skill.
“From a South African perspective and a personal perspective, we certainly have a lot of respect for the man and we wish him the best in whatever he gets involved in.”
While Kevin Pietersen recently struggled to give a rap to his England captain Andrew Strauss, he was a lot more positive about Ponting’s deeds.
“RETIRES…. ONE OF THE GREATS! I always got excited playing AUS, so I could watch him bat up close. Well done Punter!” Pietersen tweeted.
Indian batsman Virat Kohli also took time out from the current Test series against England to acknowledge a player who often riled Indian players and fans.
“Ricky ponting what an absolute legend. Iam glad I had the honour of playing against him. Take a bow #legend #respect,” he tweeted.
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said for all Ponting’s many achievements, including amassing 13,366 Test runs, he had seen the best of the right-hander over the past two years.
“I think his record until he retired as captain was outstanding but my respect for him since then has actually increased,” he said.
“Seeing first-hand how he stepped back to become a total team player, absolutely committed to his captain.
“Unstinting in his work to help other players and single-minded in his view that everything, including his own ambition, must always be second place after whatever was best for the team.”
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