Ricky Ponting Includes Kane Williamson in His Top-5 Test Batters of All-Time, Excludes Virat Kohli

Ricky Ponting also left Jacques Kallis off his list of the top five all-time Test batters, despite Kallis being the fourth-highest run-getter ever.

Ricky Ponting Includes Kane Williamson in His Top-5 Test Batters of All-Time, Excludes Virat Kohli

Ricky Ponting picked his best five Test batters, but surprisingly left out Virat Kohli from the list in favor of Kane Williamson. (IImage via Cricket Addictor)

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Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting recently revealed his top five choices for the best Test batters of all time, making some surprising inclusions. The World Cup-winning legend placed Kane Williamson on his list but notably excluded Indian superstar Virat Kohli.

Ricky Ponting was asked to name his picks for the top five all-time batters in Test cricket. His list included players known for their record-breaking legacies, technical skills, and flawless batting styles. Ponting began his list by naming West Indies’ Brian Lara, exclaiming that he was the most skillful batter that he had ever played against, and even added that Lara gave him sleepless nights, while he was a captain. 

Lara was a strong pick, as he has two unique Test records to his name. The West Indies icon holds the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket (501* for Warwickshire in 1994) and the highest individual score in an international Test match (400* against England in 2004). Two Indian players, both of whom Ponting played against, made it onto his list, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

Brian Lara was the most skilful batsman I played against and when I was captain, he gave me more sleepless nights than anybody.

Ricky Ponting on his best five Test batters (H/T: News 18)

Ponting called Sachin Tendulkar the most technically gifted player he had ever seen, a claim backed by the former Indian batting legend’s records. Sachin remains the all-time highest run-scorer in Tests, with 15,921 runs in 200 matches. His compatriot, Rahul Dravid, also has an unparalleled legacy, having scored over 13,000 runs in the longest format in 164 matches at an average of 52.31. Ponting’s final two modern-era picks were Joe Root and Kane Williamson.

Sachin [Tendulkar] was technically as good as anyone I’ve seen, along with Rahul Dravid; I’d put Joe in there now as well, and Kane Williamson.

Joe Root most recently made history by becoming the all-time second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, even surpassing Ricky Ponting’s own record. Kane Williamson, on the other hand, is widely considered one of the greatest batters New Zealand has ever produced, having scored over 9,000 runs in 105 Tests. As a consolation pick, Ponting also named Ben Stokes, highlighting the English all-rounder’s match-winning abilities over his overall stats.

Among the notable absentees from Ricky Ponting’s list, the most surprising omission was Virat Kohli. The 36-year-old Indian star, who announced his retirement from the longest format just a few months ago, could easily be considered on par with the legends Ponting picked. While Kohli may not have crossed the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket, he remains one of the world’s most influential cricketers. In addition to Kohli, Ponting also left out another member of the ‘Fab Four,’ his fellow countryman Steve Smith.

Nevertheless, Ponting justified Joe Root’s inclusion by pointing to his evolution as a Test player over the years, from an inconsistent but skillful batter to a record-breaker. He highlighted Root’s multiple records in, claiming that he has the potential to become the greatest Test cricketer in history.

Ricky Ponting Surprisingly Confesses that He Loves Watching ‘Bazball’ Cricket

Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting recently confessed that he loves watching ‘Bazball’, the aggressive style of Test cricket revolutionized by the England team under head coach Brendon McCullum. His comments came more than a week after the conclusion of the India-England Test series.

Ricky Ponting on 'Bazball'
Ricky Ponting admitted that he loves watching England’s ‘Bazball’ form of playing Test cricket. (via Independent)

Speaking to The Times, Ricky Ponting noted how the ‘Bazball’ way of playing Test cricket has evolved into a more polished and effective approach since its inception in 2022. He also suggested that the Australian team will be better prepared to face the Three Lions in the 2025-26 Ashes, which begins later this year, as they have encountered a more refined version of England’s ‘Bazball’ cricket, after the last 2023 Ashes.

I’m as Aussie as anyone and I love watching the way they [England] play. The Aussies embraced it and learned about it the last time they were here. They’ll have an understanding now of what is a slightly more refined version of what England started a few years ago.

Furthermore, Ponting added that the English players have also undergone a radical transformation in recent years, dominating in home series. He noted how Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, and other English batters have been leading the charge for this aggressive form of Test cricket.

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