5 legendary cricketers whose jerseys should be retired forever

2. Ricky Ponting

Having played 168 Test matches in his entire career Ponting scored 13379 runs with 41 centuries. In 375 ODIs, he scored 13704 runs with 30 centuries. Well, the Tasmanian man did everything with the bat that he could during his long career that lasted for 17 years.

But, Ponting’s legacy just doesn’t end there. The man from Tasmania led Australia on numerous occasion and turned out to be the most successful captain that the country ever had. One could suggest that Ricky Ponting had the best set of world-class players playing in an era where the Australian Cricket was at the peak of its power. However, to lead a team to two successive World cups trophies is nothing less than glorious. Remarkably, Australian didn’t lose a single match through the entire tournament during those two World Cup wins– 2003 and 2007.

In 228 ODIs which he led, Australia won 164 matches. On the surface that could sound like a normal record but that’s the best by far for any captain. Another 48 wins in 77 Tests as captain makes him the most successful captain in the history of international cricket. A tally of 219 wins in his 322 matches as captain, along with the two world cups and two champion trophies, is a testament to the fact how good a captain Punter was.

Additionally, Australia was the number one Test side for the longest period during Ricky Ponting’s tenure. The jersey number 14 has become quite iconic and symbolic in relation to the Tasmanian man and should be retired to pay tribute to the man who took Australian cricket to the uncharted heights.