'Ponting delivered song on my shoulders' - Tom Moody reflects on insane 1999 World Cup scenes at Lord's

There is a reason why spin legend Shane Warne, termed Ricky Ponting as ‘punter’. After all, Ponting was a character on the field. He was interested in placing the bets on dog race and he placed some on the field by leading Australia to two World Cup trophies under his leadership. But the veteran was a ‘song master’ according to former teammate Tom Moody, during the initial stage of his career.  

Australia were denied the World Cup trophy in 1996 and after stumbling initially, they made it to the World Cup 1999 final, facing Pakistan. Moody explained that ‘Beneath the Southern Cross,’ a song by American singer Patti Smith, was the victory song of the team for Tests or ODI series win. After the thumping 1999 trophy win over Pakistan, Moody recalled that Ponting sat atop the former’s shoulders and delivered the song on the field.

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"Traditionally in the Australian team, we would always sing that team song after a Test or a one-day series win. Ricky Ponting was the songmaster, and he delivered it on my shoulders, right in the middle. My lower back is still recovering,” said Moody as quoted by TOI.

"We had a long period of time in the dressing room to enjoy the experience of the journey and the occasion. All sorts of people came through, from family to famous cricket fans, but we were in our own bubble,” he added.

Moody is currently coaching Oval Invincibles in The Hundred 2024 and the team has reached the finals, scheduled to be played at Lord’s, where Australia won the 1999 World Cup. If Invincibles manage to orchestrate a victory, they will be reigning champions for a second consecutive time. With Lord’s bearing utmost importance for the 58-year-old, another feather to his hat will just intensify the attachment with the venue.