Ricky Ponting is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to ever play the game. He made his Australia debut in 1995 at the age of 20 and went onto have a great career which included three World Cups and many more accolades.
His 1999 World Cup-winning teammate Tom Moody recently talked about seeing a young Ponting and being mightily impressed by his skills and talent.
“When Ponting was part of the Australian academy even before he played a first-class game - Rod Marsh was head of the academy - and he told me that he had never seen anyone pick length as quickly as Ponting did. This was when Ponting was a 16-year-old kid and Marsh had said this kid is going to be a superstar,” Moody said during the show ‘Cricket Inside Out’ on the ICC website.
With a win ratio of 67.91 percent, Ponting is considered the finest captain in history having won 200 of the 324 matches he led Australia in. He captained Australia in 77 Tests (48 wins) and 228 ODIs (162 wins) and led his team to two back-to-back World Cups in 2003 and 2007.
He was also no stranger to controversies and in 1999, Ponting was photographed with a black eye for being punched outside a bar in Sydney, causing him a fine of 5000 AUD and a three-match ban.
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“Ponting was a rough diamond when he first arrived. He made mistakes as we all have but he has learnt from them and evolved into a match-winner. He became one of the most respected Australian batsmen, captain, commentator, and now a coach,” Moody added.
Ponting made his Tasmania debut at 17 and made 96 against Sri Lanka on his Test debut. He made 13378 runs in 168 Tests with 41 centuries at an average of 51.90. In 375 ODIs, Ponting made 13704 runs with 30 centuries at an average of 42.03 in a career that spanned from 1995-2012.
