'I fought hard to keep him' - Michael Clarke recalls standing by Ricky Ponting's side during his low phase

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is regarded as one of the greatest players to have stepped onto the cricket field. The right-handed batsman tormented the best of bowling line-ups and his record across formats speaks volumes of his prowess. On top of that, he was a brilliant captain who took Australia to two World Cups and as many Champions Trophy titles. However, Ponting’s form dipped down significantly at the fag end of his career.

Even his place in the national side was questioned by many, but Michael Clarke stood by Ponting. Clarke became the Australian captain after Ponting stepped down from the leadership role following his side’s exit in the 2011 World Cup. In a recent interaction, Clarke revealed that he fought with the selectors to save his predecessor Ponting from getting dropped.

When Michael Clarke supported Ricky Ponting

”When I took over the captaincy, that’s why I fought to keep Ricky. The selectors said, ‘Very rarely does a captain stand down and stay in the team, so if you don’t feel comfortable … it’s time for Ricky to go’,” revealed Michael Clarke during his conversation with former NRL star Brett Finch on his ‘Uncensored Podcast’.

Clarke recalled that he wanted Ponting because of his vast experience as he felt that the presence of the Australian legend would help the youngsters in his team. Hence, he fought with the selectors to keep Ponting on the side.

“I said, ‘We need him. We need him for his batting, but he’ll be another coach for us’. So I fought hard to keep him, I wanted him there. I thought he played a big part in helping that younger generation get to the level we needed to. If he was batting at 80 percent, he was better than anybody else at No. 3 or No. 4. We think the grass is greener all the time. Very rarely is it.” he added.

Ponting eventually bid farewell to international cricket in November 2012, and a great era came to an end. Clarke also did a commendable job during his tenure at the helm and guided Australia to many triumphs. He even led the Men in Yellow to the World Cup in 2015. Later that year, Clarke also announced his retirement.

9 Interesting Facts About CSK All-Rounder Sam Curran –