To a prolific run-scorer, and the man I detested
168 Test matches, over 13000 runs in the format, with an average in the higher 50s and a joint-record of 16 consecutive victories in Test matches (although he did lose three Ashes series, a dubious distinction that he’s the only Australian captain to be in possession of). 375 ODIs, yet another 13000+ runs, with an average in the lower 40s and three World Cups in his extensive CV. 17 T20 Internationals, 400 odd runs, with a SR of 132.78. A combined tally of 71 centuries in International cricket (2779 boundaries and 246 over-boundaries) in all formats, across continents and against varying opponents. Add to that his fantastic fielding (there really should be some sort of ICC-recognized system for calculating the runs saved by each player in the field; he would surely have been a frontrunner in that record book), especially in the slip cordon and at cover (364 catches in total), and there remains no doubt that the retiring almost 38-year-old Tasmania-born Ricky Thomas Ponting is no doub...