SYDNEY // Ricky Ponting, the most successful captain in 134 years of Test cricket, resigned as the Australian Test and one-day skipper on Tuesday but will continue as a batsman with the team.
The 36-year-old, who has led Australia in one-day internationals (ODI) since 2002 and Tests since 2004, had been under increasing pressure after an Ashes defeat to England and a quarter-final exit as the defending champions at the World Cup.
"I've had the chance to think long and hard about it and today I've decided to stand down as captain of the Test team and the one-day team as of now," he told a news conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
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Also
• Ponting wants to emulate Tendulkar in prolonging international career
• Australia paceman Shaun Tait bows out of one-day cricket
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"The main reason for me is I think it's the right time.
"Getting through the Ashes series the way that we did and the World Cup now being over, I wanted to make sure that I gave the next captain every opportunity I possibly could to make sure he has as much experience going forward in the next couple of big events that we will play."
"All that being said I've made it very clear to selectors that I'm still available for selection in both forms of the games, so hopefully they will pick me and I'll be on a plane to Bangladesh in the next couple of days," added Ponting, referring to Australia's three ODIs against Bangladesh next month.
"I am keen to stay around and play a bit longer with the team where it is at the moment. I think I've got a lot to offer as a player and certainly as a leader for some of the younger players around, if and when required."
Cricket Australia declined to name a successor, but Michael Clarke, who stood in for the injured Ponting in the final Ashes Test and for the one-day series against England that followed it, is expected to replace his mentor as skipper.
Ponting endorsed the 29-year-old Clarke to take over the reins, adding that he would have no problems serving under his apprentice.
"I've actually taken orders most of my life, so it will be no different than anyone else here," Ponting said, smiling.
"I just want to do the best that I can for Australian cricket, for the next captain and for the team over the next period of time."
Cricket Australia are expected to name captains for Australia's Test, one-day and Twenty20 sides tomorrow.
Clarke stepped down from the Twenty20 captaincy following Australia's defeat in the Ashes in January, saying he wanted to concentrate on getting his batting form back. Cameron White assumed the role for two T20 matches against England in January.
Ponting reiterated his call that the selectors should resist calls to clear the decks of the national teams in a bid to blood new talent, with a number of senior players in their mid-30s.
"What I think you don't and you can't ever afford to have in the team is to have a mass exodus of all those sort of players at once," he said.
"I think we've seen that in the last couple of years when we had a lot of the greats move on at one time. It left us very bare. It's been hard for us to rebuild and get ourselves back to where we want to as a result of that."
While Ponting's batting record brooks no argument, his captaincy has often been criticised as Australia has declined as a force in world cricket, with three Ashes series defeats to England in particular damaging his reputation.
Australia went to the World Cup as double defending champions but returned home after defeat to India in the last eight, their unbeaten run of matches in the tournament having been ended at 34 by Pakistan in the group stage.
On his return to Australia at the weekend, Ponting acknowledged the pressure on him and said he would consider his position before the squad to tour Bangladesh was announced on Wednesday.
Ponting bucked a poor run of form to hit a defiant century in the quarter-final defeat to India in Ahmedabad, which will only have increased his determination to continue playing international cricket.
Despite former players and pundits calling for him to step down for months, Ponting said he had never been under any pressure from Australian selectors or administrators to relinquish the captaincy.
"I think if the decision was too late, I think I would have ... my bosses as in Cricket Australia telling me a while ago that they felt my time might have been up.
"I can go on record again and say that I've never received that sort of message."
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Ferrari
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
The%20Mother%20
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
