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Regarded as one of the best batters in the history of cricket and arguably Australia's greatest after Sir Donald Bradman, Ricky Ponting set the bar so high that very few cricketers could match. Known for his positive batting style, unbelievable leadership skills and fierce attitude, Ponting has left an indelible mark on fans, teammates and competitors during his glorious career.
Despite playing an aggressive brand of cricket throughout his career, Ponting was incredibly consistent at the crease. In ODI cricket, Ponting aggregated 13,704 runs with 30 centuries. He sits in the fourth spot on the all-time list of most runs behind Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Kumar Sangakkara. He scored 30 centuries in the 50-over format - a mark that is bettered by only three batters.
His longevity, consistency and quality made him one of the most prolific limited-overs players ever. A man for the big occasion, Ponting loved to perform in the big-stage tournaments, which brought the best out in Aussie.
Ponting is one of the very few cricketers who played in five ODI World Cups. He was just 21 years and 66 days old when he made his World Cup debut in the 1996 edition match against Kenya in Visakhapatnam, India. Ponting's last World Cup appearance, remarkably, also came on Indian soil 15 years later. Australia's quarter-final loss against India was Ponting's last big game as the Aussie icon hung up his spiked boots in 2012.
Ponting's first century came in his debut World Cup when he scored 102 runs from 112 balls against the West Indies in Jaipur and became the youngest batsman to score a World Cup ton. The knock symbolised Ponting's fearless attitude as Ponting chose to wear a cap instead of a helmet to show the West Indians that he did not fear their pace bowling attack.
Ponting found success both as a captain and a batter at the 2003 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. The right-handed batter smashed two centuries - one in the Super Six against Sri Lanka and the second in the final against India. His most memorable World Cup century came in the 2003 World Cup final in Johannesburg, where his sensational 140-run knock helped Australia post a mammoth 359/2 against India, who were then bowled out for 234 runs in 39.2 overs.
Ponting replicated the 2003 success in the 2007 edition in the Caribbean and finished as the third-highest run-getter with 539 runs in 11 matches, including a century and four half-centuries. The Australian captain scored the first century of the 2007 edition, picking up where he left off at the world stage four years ago.
He scored 113 off 93 balls in the Group A match against Scotland at Warner Park in St. Kitts, for his fourth World Cup ton. His contributions with the bat and leadership skills on the field helped Australia win back-to-back World Cup crowns.
Ponting's last century came in the 2011 ODI World Cup. The Aussie icon, who came into the tournament in a poor run of form, scored his first international century in over a year when he crossed the three figures in the quarter-final against co-hosts India.
Ponting's 104-run knock, however, went in vain, as India claimed a five-wicket win in Ahmedabad to enter the semifinal.
