Ricky Ponting

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ponting's journey began in Newnham, Tasmania, where he was introduced to cricket by his father Graeme and uncle Greg Campbell. At age 11, playing for Mowbray Under-13s, he scored four centuries in a single week, earning a sponsorship from Kookaburra while still in eighth grade. His potential was so evident that NTCA head Ted Richardson stated, 'Ricky is certainly the equal of David Boon at this level.' Although Australian Rules football was a major part of his life and a North Melbourne Kangaroos supporter, a broken right arm at age 13 ended his football ambitions after a 14-week lay-off. He turned fully to cricket, becoming the youngest Tasmanian to play in a Sheffield Shield match on 2 November 1992 at just 17 years and 337 days old. That season, he scored back-to-back centuries against Western Australia, becoming the youngest batsman in Shield history to score twin centuries in a match. During the 1998-99 season, he also scored five consecutive centuries in Sheffield Shield matches, though these were not all against a single opponent.

In Their Own Story

In November 1994, playing for Tasmania against Western Australia at Bellerive Oval, Ponting scored 211 runs. This was his fifth successive century against Western Australia, making him only the second batsman after Sir Donald Bradman to achieve such a feat in Shield history. Just ten days later, he was named in the Australian XI to face England at the same venue as practice for an upcoming tour. His early domestic form saw him score 161 runs in a crucial match against South Australia to help Tasmania qualify for the final, though they ultimately lost. By the end of his first full season, he had scored 781 runs at an average of 48.81. In 1993, during an academy tour of India and Sri Lanka, he reached 99 not out in a one-day game in Colombo, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer on the tour behind Justin Langer.

Reader's Guide

Ponting made his ODI debut in 1995 against South Africa during a quadrangular tournament in New Zealand and his Test debut shortly after against Sri Lanka in Perth, where he scored 96. He became One Day International captain in early-2002 and Test captain in early 2004. As a specialist right-handed batsman and occasional bowler, he was involved in 100 Test victories as a player, the most in history for that format, and 262 ODI wins. He led Australia to their second 5–0 Ashes win and captained the team to victory in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. Statistically one of the most successful Test captains with 48 victories in 77 matches, he retired from Test cricket on 19 November 2012 after his 168th appearance, equalling Steve Waugh's Australian record. He finished with a Test average of 51.85 and continued playing until 2013.

Did You Know?

• Ponting broke his right arm playing junior football at age 13, which required it to be pinned and ended his competitive football career.
• He is the only cricketer in history to be involved in 100 Test victories as a player.
• In January 2002, he became One Day International captain, followed by Test captaincy in early 2004.
• During the 1998-99 Sheffield Shield season, Ponting scored five consecutive centuries, though they were not all against the same team.
• Ponting played his final Test on 19 November 2012, equalling the Australian record of 168 Tests held by Steve Waugh.