Long standing speculation as to when will Ricky Ponting draw curtains on his illustrious career has finally been put to rest as he announced
his retirement. The all time great of Australian cricket Ricky Ponting will bid adieu to the game after the third Test in Perth against
Australia.

He was going through a horrible form and growing talks about him has finally led to the decision. He could have persisted with his career but then the way he exits the arena means that he is leaving on his own terms filled with grace.

It is not the first time that he has been under-fire but he made sure to pay-back his critics with straight willow. Most recent example was the India series down under where he made a strong statement with his bat. He was going through bad times ahead of the tournament, but came to at the right time to tell everyone he still belongs and is the man.

Ponting for the records is the most successful Australian batsmen till date and also the most successful Test captain in the history of the game. He has over 25,000 runs in both Test and ODI’s combined and has scored 71 international centuries in his 17 years career. Only Sachin Tendulkar has more centuries than him.

The ‘Punter’ of Australian cricket has won three World Cups including two as a captain since his appointment as a captain in 2002.

Next year he was made the Team skipper and thus started a new journey. It has often been seen that a player finds it difficult to attend to dual roles. But he was phenomenal and led the Aussie surge. Australia kept tumbling records under his captaincy and led the ICC Test and ODI Rankings for years together.

His retirement certainly brings an end to an era and someone who Australia will never be replaced. There has always been debate as to who was the better number three batsmen in the World, Ponting or Rahul Dravid, and then Tendulkar as to who is the greatest?

Each of these players are champions in own right and there can’t be comparisons but then things like these did great to the cause of  cricket.

But then his career was not only filled with success as he too had his share of failure, involvement with Alcohol and gambling. It was under his reign that Australia crashed to three Ashes defeat. There was a slump in his form but the resolute Punter never gave up fighting.

He has led Australia from the front and always delivered when his team needed him. If his retirement leaves a huge vacuum in the Australian, at the same time brings respite to the other teams.

The World cricket will miss his elegant stroke making and most of all the character that has made him such a great champion.

All Hail the fighter! Grime, guts and glory!

By Indian Sports News Network