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Ricky Ponting’s glorious captaincy reign ended last season, handing the duties to Michael Clarke following his inspirational 104 against India in the World Cup quarter-final.
Ponting has won more games as captain than any other in the history of Test cricket.
Forty-eight times he has been on the winning side while in charge of a team that rewrote the record books over and over again.
His last season at the helm was personally not his best, battling poor form, injury and constant media scrutiny as Australia lost the Ashes on home soil for the first time in over two decades.
Ponting has scored more runs and centuries in Tests and ODIs than any other Australian.
He has played in four World Cup finals, winning three, holding the record with Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath as the only players to win a hat-trick of World Cup titles.
In addition, Ponting became only the second man after Warwick Armstrong to lead a victorious Ashes whitewash winning 5-nil in 2006-07.
Deciding to play-on after announcing his retirement as captain, Ponting will for the first time in seven years take a step back and focus solely on his batting.
As an elder statesman of the Test and ODI team his experience and wisdom will be crucial to the new leadership group and the younger generation coming through.
