Where to for the one time captain of Australia? Sure one time he was the best batsman in the world but that isn’t the case anymore. Today, he isn’t even the best batsman in the Australian team. Currently 37 years of age, it is safe to say that his best years are behind year.
He resigned the captaincy of the Test team after the Ashes loss and no longer plays all three forms of the game. Test cricket is all that is left to him. He was flattered by a very poor Indian side. He scored a mountain of runs against the hapless Indians with a double-century, century and three half centuries.
In the West Indies he had scored 25 runs in three innings. That just isn’t good enough. Sure one time he was run out by Shane Watson but since then he has been out another two times.
Ponting would be hoping to make it through to the 2013 Ashes. Till they there are 10 Test Matches. Australia hosts South Africa and Sri Lanka for three each and then a tour of India for four Test matches.
Does he have what it takes to negotiate those 10 matches? The website http://www.bookiesforsports.com/ doesn’t seem to think so.
What is in Ponting’s favor is that there is no one else knocking on the door and demanding selection. UsmanKhawaja and Phil Hughes are out of favor as is Shaun Marsh. Which up and coming young cricket is there who can demand selection? The short answer is that there is no-one.
The Australian side has done well to introduce some new blood. Ed Cowan and Dave Warner are there to complement the likes of Ponting, Mike Hussey, Shane Watson and Michael Clarke. All in all the team is doing well and against most of the other Test sides, they can still win even if they are carrying Ponting.
He didn’t think the selectors would drop him from the one-day side but they called his bluff and dropped him. Afterwards he had a press conference in which he said he was no longer in the one day side. Will the same thing happen with his place in the Test side?
What is for sure is that after a career such as his where he has broken more records than can be named, he should go out on top and not be dropped.