The roughest of the diamonds

[Gazza]

Some say it’s a job that’s more difficult, more important and more scrutinized than that of the Australian Prime Minister.

Ricky Ponting didn’t find it very difficult when he was elected to take over the reins of the Australian Cricket team in February 2002, following the removal of Steve Waugh from the ODI side after failing to make the finals of the local triangular series. With Adam Gilchrist as his deputy and a team including great players such as Matthew Hayden, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Michael Bevan the Australians romped to a 5-1 series victory in South Africa. Ponting had a fine series, making 283 runs himself and the One Day team was once more at its peak.

A year later Ponting returned to South Africa where he led the side without suffering a loss in the World Cup to claim cricket’s ultimate crown. He claimed the test captaincy after Steve Waugh retired in January 2004, and started with a 3-0 clean sweep in Sri Lanka. A finger injury in the 2004 Champions Trophy semi-final loss ruled him out of the series victory in India, but Ponting’s elevation to the captaincy had been successful.

However, in recent times Ponting has had a hard run as the captain of a struggling outfit. After the Adelaide test the calls came once again, this time from Rodney Hogg, for Ponting to be replaced as captain. The Australians failed to bowl the West Indies out and claim victory in the game, a problem that the team has struggled with since the retirement of Warne and McGrath.
It was the Ashes of 2005 where cracks started to appear in the Australian line-up and Ponting’s leadership came under heavy scrutiny.

A captain’s knock of 156 to save the game at Old Trafford was the only highlight for the Australian captain as Ponting became the first Australian captain since Allan Border in 1989 to hand back the urn.

Ponting survived calls for Shane Warne to replace him as captain, and proceeded to lead the side unbeaten through 21 matches with 20 victories, including the incredible 16 match streak. Heavy runs in those victories restored the selectors and the countries faith in him and the team capped of an incredible 18 months with a 5-0 sweep of England to reclaim the Ashes and a second unbeaten run and the World Cup title.

After this however there were few positives. The controversial victory in the second test against India was the lowest point of Ponting’s career and the incumbent loss in the next game at Perth was the end the winning streak of 16 matches. Adam Gilchrist retired at the end of that series, and the wheels really started to come off in the tour of India that followed in October. Without Warne and McGrath Australia struggled to bowl India out on regular occasions, and Ponting came under heavy criticism for his tactics in Nagpur, where he did not press for the victory in India’s second innings.

Back home a first series loss on their own turf in 16 years followed for the Australians as they succumbed to South Africa. Ponting was criticised for failing to win at Perth and Melbourne where the team was in a dominant position, especially in the second test where Australia failed to dismiss the South African tail.

And in August Ponting once again lost the Ashes, becoming the first Australian captain to do so twice in more than 100 years. The Australian skipper came under scrutiny for his bowling tactics in Cardiff and also his part in the decision to leave Nathan Hauritz out at the Oval, where English spinner Graeme Swann took 8 wickets.

Undoubtedly Ponting’s incredible captaincy record has been boosted by his fortune to lead a side that glittered with several star players. However, his role in leading a young Australian side to victory in the third test at Sydney and then in a triumphant test tour of South Africa has shown that the man who many say is the best batsmen of his era does indeed possess the skills that are required to lead a test side.

They don’t come much tougher than Ricky Ponting. While several people do not like the captaincy credentials of the hard faced lad from Launceston that leads us in the cricketing arena, his record as one of crickets finest cannot be disputed. With a number of years still remaining in his international career it will be interesting to see whether his leadership of the rebuilding team he has will be enough to silence the critics.

[TumTum]

Why do I get a feeling that I read this before...?

[Gazza]

You have. Then I got it deleted, because I submitted it for a job application, and now I've put it back up

Because I got the job

[Robelinda]

[Gazza]

Thank you