Happy Birthda Legend | Ricky Ponting

Just a few days ago, Ricky Ponting celebrated his birthday. "Punter", the person who made our childhood miserable, leading one of the lethal Cricket teams in history. He is the most successful captain in international cricket history, running an era of pure dominance. Some may argue that he had the world's best team and had nothing much to do. Well, that's quite true, but remember, a sheep can't rule a pack of lions.

Well, leaving the captaincy aside, this guy is one of the greatest and artistic batsmen of all time, then a coach, commentator, mentor, and a global icon. So, he is a complete package. And as a Cricket lover, I can't miss his birthday.

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So, Happy birthday, Ricky Ponting. He turns 51 years old.

He was born on 19 December 1974 in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. He made his first-class debut for Tasmania at the age of 17, and in three years, he got the call for national service in 1995 at the age of 20. So, first let's see his stats.

Stat	Test	ODI
debut	8 December 1995 v Sri Lanka	15 February 1995 v South Africa
Last Match	3 December 2012 v South Africa	19 February 2012 v India
Matches	168	375
Runs scored	13,378	13,704
Batting average	51.85	42.03
100s/50s	41/62	30/82
Top score	257	164
Catches	196	160

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Well, his numbers speak for his greatness as a batter. Eventhough his first few series were not the best, and had replacements time to time, he showed his intent and attacking nature straightaway. He became a mature batsman in no time and dominated the records at number three. He was so good against the pacers, especially playing the pull and cover drive. Let's see some of his batting records and achievements.

• Most international runs for Australia: 27,483
• 3rd most runs scorer and centuries in Test Cricket
• 4th most runs scorer and centuries in ODI Cricket

He has scored 13,000+ runs in both formats and has 71 international centuries. So, he is the top in runs and centuries for Australia and still inside the top 5 in both formats even after a decade of his retirement. So, it shows his talent, aggression, and achievement as a batsman.

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Other than that, he is a decorated captain.

• 220 victories in 324 matches with a winning rate of 67.91%
• 2003 and 2007 Cricket World Cups
• 2006 and 2009 Champions Trophies
• Most Test wins as captain: 48 in 77 matches

In his era Australian team was on a different level. They are competitive and aggressive, and some a few dares to challenge their reign.

Apart from these, he is the only player to win 100 Test matches (108 wins), and also the most ODI wins as a player(262 wins). So, he was a successful player as an individual, captain, and also as a team in his era. In July 2018, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

• ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year: 2006, 2007
• ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year: 2006
• ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year: 2004 (c), 2005 (c), 2006, 2007 (c)
• ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year: 2004(c), 2006, 2007(c), 2008 (c), 2010(c)
• Allan Border Medal by Cricket Australia in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2009

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So, after his retirement, he is working as a coach for their national side, in leagues, and also as a commentator. So, once again, Happy Birthday to one of the best players in cricket.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Ponting#
https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/ricky-ponting-7133

Until the next time! Enjoy!

Thank you.
Best Regards!
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