Ricky Ponting’s top 3 achievements as Australia’s captain

Ricky Ponting is considered to be one of the most successful captains in the history of cricket let alone Australia. Ricky Ponting has 27,483 international runs to his name which is only third to Sachin Tendulkar (34,357) and Kumar Sangakkara (28,016). In addition to this truckload of runs, Ponting also has 71 centuries to his name, which is third-most after Sachin Tendulkar (100) and Virat Kohli (80).

Apart from his batting prowess, Ricky Ponting arguably has been the most successful captain in cricket history. It is a fact that Ponting was blessed with a strong Australian cricket team that had world-class cricketers in their ranks but he was known for his sharp cricketing mind and shrewd tactics utilising the resources he had at his disposal to their full potential.  

In this article we will take a deep dive into Ponting’s illustrious captaincy career as Australian captain and highlight his top three achievements during his captaincy stint:

1. Most ICC Titles as a captain

Under Ricky Ponting’s leadership, Australia became a cricketing powerhouse and dominated the cricketing world like nobody ever did. Ponting won the 1999 World Cup as a player after which he was made the captain of the Australia team in 2002. Australia went on to win two consecutive ODI World Cups in 2003, and 2007 respectively. He also won two Champions Trophy titles in addition to the World Cups.

Apart from the 1999 World Cup, the Australian team dominated the other two World Cups and won them without much competition which is a testament to the dominance of the Australian team during that era under Ricky Ponting. He along with Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath are the only players to have won the ODI World Cup thrice.

2. Most International wins as captain

Ricky Ponting has been the best captain to date and his captaincy record is a testament to his success. Ponting captained Australia 216 matches, out of which he won 165 times for Australia. It is the most wins by a captain in the history of cricket. If you add the 4 titles to it, then it makes Ponting’s captaincy portfolio stand out among all. Only India’s former captain MS Dhoni had led an international in more matches than Ricky Ponting. 

3. 21 consecutive ODI victories as captain

The Australian team of Ricky Ponting was a force to reckon with as they used to win matches for fun. Under Ricky Ponting, Australia holds the record of winning 21 consecutive ODIs as no other team was able to beat them. Their winning streak started on 11th January 2003 and remained intact till 25th May 2003 when they lost their 22nd match against the West Indies. In between they also won the 2003 ODI World Cup that took place in South Africa. 

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