Australian captain Ricky Ponting has announced his resignation from the captaincy
in all formats of the game but has said that he will be a part of the side if
selected. Ponting announced to the media that the reason for the stepping down
was the early ouster from the World Cup and said that Michael Clarke will
make for the best choice as captain for both, the ODIs and the Test matches.
Ponting also added that there was nobody who asked him to leave and he had
come to the decision himself.
He added that he had got to the decision after thinking through the whole thing
and decided that the best thing for the Australian cricket would be to give
up on the role and concentrate on his batting alone. He added that Australia's
immediate priority was to get the basics right in helping them win back the
next Ashes and the 2015 edition of the Ashes. He added that there isn't too
much of a chance that he will still continue to play through to 2013 or the
World Cup and hence it was best that he stepped down.
Ponting also added that this was the beginning of something new for him and
he will look to provide all the backing possible for the new captain. He said
that he will also try his best to set an example for his other team-mates.
It is yet to be known whether the selectors will be able to take the hard decision
to drop Ponting from the side. This is especially after he had said that he
will look to continue playing and expected to be selected for the tour of Bangladesh.
Australia play Bangladesh in a three-match series and have tough series against
Sri Lanka and South Africa in the near future.
Ponting had earlier said that he hoped for a revival of batting in the same
way as Sachin Tendulkar.
Ponting became the captain of the side after the end of Steve Waugh's reign
at the top. He was the captain of the side for 77 Tests and 228 ODIs. He notched
up 48 victories in the Test matches and 164 in the limited overs form of the
game, apart from winning two World Cups as captain and three overall. However,
Ponting has also lost three Ashes, becoming the only captain to have done so
for Australia. He was the skipper of Australia when South Africa
chased down 434 in an ODI at Johannesburg.
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