Adios Punter!!!!!!

Ricky Ponting got out for 8 in his last innings wearing the Baggy Green Cap!!!! He got a ceremonial send off off the field by the South Africans... Today 3rd December 2012 marks the end of one of greatest batsmen to have graced the game of cricket from Down Under.

The land of cricket which has given the sport great names like Sir Donald Bradman, Ian Chappel, Richie Benaud was also the home of Ricky "Punter" Ponting a.k.a The Tasmanian Devil!!!!

And bat like a Devil he did... He was one of the select few contemporary cricketers who could match the Indian Maestro Sachin Tendulkar stroke for stroke and do it elegantly. There was a time when the very name Ponting could strike cold fear in the hearts of bowlers all around the world. His appetite for scoring runs and the panache with which he scored them made him one of the most ferocious batsmen to grace the game of cricket from Australia.

I won't bore people with Ponting's stats, those are well known and available with a click of a mouse button. Ponting to me epitomized the Aussie spirit with warts and all. Always brash and always in your face. The Aussie way of playing cricket is a baptism by fire, they are relentless, they curse and when you are down physically as well as mentally they curse you some more.

As a captain for his side, Ponting led from the front, making his bat do the talking while he was batting while cursing you from the first slip if he was fielding. Ponting was pure aggression. He played many a innings where he dug Australia out of bothersome spots and put them in a commanding position, a elegant player both of the front foot and back, watching him play as like poetry in motion. His cut and pull shots were the unrivaled and he played them with a panache rarely seen on the strip.

While the game of poorer without him starring in it anymore it was a great innings while it lasted. His departure at this junction raises a big hole in the Aussie batting line up at the crucial No. 4 spot. Who is good enough to fill his Ponting's shoes is a question that will need to be answered by Aussie Selectors and cricketers!! It may be a long time waiting to find somebody good enough to make the spot their own like Ponting did.

Thanks Ricky for entertaining us and have a great life ahead.. You deserve it mate!!!!