Ricky Thomas Ponting is the current captain of the Australian cricket team. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very occasional bowler. He is regarded as one of Australia's finest cricketers in the modern era. He represents the Tasmanian Tigers in Australian domestic cricket and played in the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008.
Ricky Ponting has been consistently ranked in the top-five batsmen in both Tests and ODIs and considered to be one of the finest batsmen of the modern era.
Ponting is the only batsman to hit centuries in both the innings of his 100th Test and has led Australia to two consecutive World Cup victories.
Ponting is the only batsman to have twice scored more than 1500 runs in Test matches in a calendar year (2003 and 2005) and is now the leading Australian century maker.
Ponting is the youngest ever World Cup centurion, and his unbeaten 140 against India in the 2003 World Cup final was the highest by a captain in a World Cup final.
Ponting is the first Australian to reach 10,000 runs in ODIs and also has 10,000 Test runs to his credit.
In the first edition of the IPL, Ponting scored 39 runs in the 4 matches that he played, with a highest score of 20, at an average of 9.75, and a strike rate of 75. He smashed a six and 2 fours in the tournament.
Ponting opted out of the IPL's second season to rest tired limbs after a back-breaking schedule. Having played non-stop cricket since September, Ponting preferred to take a breather before a tour of England which features the World Twenty20 championships in June followed by the Ashes.
During the course of his 38th century in the first Ashes Test on July 9, 2009, Ponting joined Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Allan Border as the only batsmen to have made more than 11,000 runs.
On September 7, 2009, Ponting announced his retirement from T20 internationals to prolong his Test and ODI career.
On October 2, 2009, in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy against England in Centurion, Ponting became the third batsman after Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya to complete 12,000 runs in ODI cricket.