Ricky Ponting steps down as Captain (Updated)

[howardj]

This age argument is bizarre. Ponting should play until he's no longer one of the best six batsmen in the country, end of.

So, there's no link between averaging sub 40 in the last two years and his age?

Age must also be a factor in the overall make up of the team. Good selectors plan ahead.

What's the point in having all these old guys in the team (Kat, Haddin, Ponting, Hussey) when you just get walloped anyway (like we did in the Ashes losing three times by an innings for the first time in our history)

Best to have younger players with an upside.

There's very little upside to Ponting. That said, I don't mind him staying on for the heavy duty tours of SL and SA, and next summer against India.

 

[outbreak]

Assuming Clarke is captain, reckon the first test of his power will come down to the treatment of Smith

I get the feeling that he doesnt rate him as a front-line option whilst the selectors seem to want to give him more exposure

Like some others, I also think Muss and Kat might be on very shaky ground

I'd prefer to see Hughes get an extended run rather than take the short-term route with Kat as I've seen some genuine improvements in his game this year and sense that he is one big test score away from being a very good player

Sorry Clarke doesn't rate Smith? Haven't seen enough of Clarke captaining Smith in tests, but in the one dayers and t20 Clarke definitely gives Smith more of a role then Ponting ever does.

Another interesting thing to watch will be if Clarke starts to push his influence on the side, who will be out on their ass? Ponting seemed to have alot of sway and ran a boys club of who got into the side and who didn't, will Clarke break this up or continue it? I've herd alot of the older players (we know kat has) have had issues with Clarke in the past.

 

[Spark]

He doesn't really rate him as a Test bowler, no. Barely bowled him at all in Sydney. Rates him as a partnership breaker in ODIs, T20s for sure.

 

[Flem274*]

Katich
Watson
Khawaja
Clarke/Ponting/Hussey
Clarke/Ponting/Hussey
Clarke/Ponting/Hussey

 

[biased indian]

on expected lines..but i thought he might stop playing ODI's..and on the talks of him goin down the order..is there any chance of that happening..?..if he is still the best batsmen in the side then why should he give up his position in the side ?

 

[Spark]

Haha, very decisive you are. That's the "best six batsmen in the country end of story" route though.

on expected lines..but i thought he might stop playing ODI's..and on the talks of him goin down the order..is there any chance of that happening..?..if he is still the best batsmen in the side then why should he give up his position in the side ?

He hasn't been the best batsman in the side for about two-three years now.

 

[TT Boy]

Moises Henriques for me.

 

[Spark]

Mind you at the end of the day rob's point is the more pressing one. We need a bowlers who can actually deliver 20 wickets on a reasonably consistent basis.

 

[howardj]

Patty Cummins says hi

 

[Flem274*]

Haha, very decisive you are. That's the "best six batsmen in the country end of story" route though.



He hasn't been the best batsman in the side for about two-three years now.

I should clarify that wasn't my captaincy choices, that was the batting order I'd have.

It's Clarke or Twatto by default for the captaincy really.

 

[Spark]

I thought that was pretty obvious tbh

 

[Jono]

There, that wasn’t so hard, was it Ricky? | Article | The Punch

 

[biased indian]

Haha, very decisive you are. That's the "best six batsmen in the country end of story" route though.

my thinking was in the line that he will like to reduce the load and will like to prolong the test career..take the case of tendulkar agreed he has not stopped playing ODIS, but he has played very few in the last 2 years and i wont be surprised if he decided to quit the ODIs at the end of the world cup

Edit : i thought you was referring to him quitting ODI's

He hasn't been the best batsman in the side for about two-three years now.

there has been no stand out Aussie batsmen in the recent past rt... so why push him down?

 

[Spark]

Watson last year. Clarke and Katman before that.

 

[Jono]

Well if his form improves and if he still has the hunger and desire then why not..?

If at 41 Ponting is better than all the other domestic limited overs batsman in Australia then fine, play him. But that will be a huge indictment on Australian cricket. I doubt that will be the case.

And before you mention Sachin, he's 37 now. Not 41. 41 and 37 are so very very different. The game is only getting more and more faster. 41 isn't an age to play limited overs cricket.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Fair play to Punter. Can't say I've always been a fan of his captaincy and won't rehash the arguments here, but it's been quite a shift he's put in. & he'll always have 5-0. ****.

Ironically I think a lot of how posterity judges him as a skipper might have to do with how his successor performs. If (one assumes) Clarke arrests the undeniable decline it'll cast a negative light on Ponting's latter tenure but if he starts with three series defeats (not an outlandish suggestion given the opponents) Punter will probably benefit from the old "can't make bricks from straw" argument.

 

[Daemon]

Least he signed off with a hundred. Hope he retires when he's in good form as well.

 

[Xuhaib]

right time to step down, hopefully he will have one final hurrah with the bat before he calls it quits to his career.

 

[Nate]

Also its a very unlikely event but its a chance that he might just make it into the 2015 worldcup squad, that tournament is gonna be played in Australia so there is every chance that Ponting might consider that as the best stage to hang his boots.

Ponting himself has said that it's "highly unlikely" that he will still be playing then.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

So he now waits to see if the selectors keep him in the side. If he has played his last game at least he went out with a ton. Good luck to him but i think he will have to give up the number 3 slot.