Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan and Mitchell Starc Fail to Make it into Ricky Ponting’s All-Time Australia XI

In his Australia XI selection, Ricky Ponting also omitted legends including Greg Chappell, Jeff Thomson, Rod Marsh, Mark Waugh and others.

Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan and Mitchell Starc Fail to Make it into Ricky Ponting’s All-Time Australia XI

Ricky Ponting named his all-time Australian XI, leaving out some of the greats. (via ca.com)

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Legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting picked his all-time Australia XI, including some of the biggest names to have emerged from the country. To the surprise of many, he left himself as well as legends like Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith and himself out of it.

The most successful captain in international cricket history, Ricky Ponting led the Australian national team through an era, marked by sheer dominance. The 50-year-old guided his team to 220 wins in the 324 matches, with a win-rate of 67.91 percent. Ponting’s legacy, both as a player and as a captain, remains unmatched, as he led Australia to two World Cup and Champions Trophy triumphs in the 2000s.

Speaking on Bet365’s Australian channel, Ponting was presented with a challenging task of chalking out an all-time Aussie XI. The veteran icon instantly suggested that he would be biased in his picks, as he shared the dressing room with some of the greatest players of all time. He first picked Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer in opening, followed by Sir Don Bradman at no. 3, and the underrated Damien Martyn, at no. 4. 

I’m a bit biased with this one because I’ve played in some champion teams and with some great players…

To continue the batting order, Ricky Ponting went on to pick ‘Mr. Cricket’ Michael Hussey at no. 5, Andrew Symonds at no. 6, and Adam Gilchrist as the wicket-keeper. Ponting then went ahead with Shane Warne as the lone spinner, and settled with a lethal pace trio of Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath. For McGrath, Ponting jokingly suggested that he was the worst Australian batter of all time. 

10 out of the 11 players that the former Australian skipper picked for in his all-time XI were a part of his World Cup-winning campaigns, with Bradman being the only exception. Fans pointed out to the many players whom Ponting left out, including World Cup-winning captains Allan Border and Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan, and Dennis Lillee. He even omitted modern stars like Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, David Warner and Michael Clarke. 

Nevertheless, Ricky Ponting also picked a 12th man in his all-time XI, going with former teammate Darren Lehmann. The Australian great had a rather witty reason for choosing Lehmann, hilariously noting that the latter was good at serving drinks. 

Ricky Ponting among candidates who could replace Gautam Ganbhir as Team India head coach

The Men in Blue disappointingly lost to South Africa in a home Test series earlier this week, the second time in a year that the Indian red-ball side had been white-washed. India’s 0-2 defeat to the Proteas, has put head coach Gautam Gambhir under pressure, with calls for his removal intensifying. 

Ricky Ponting Gautam Gambhir replacement
Australian great Ricky Ponting remains a top contender, should Gautam Gambhir step down as India’s head coach. (via News 18)

Under Gambhir, while the Indian team might have performed exceptionally well in white-ball cricket, it has struggled to produce similar results in the longest format. India lost a Test series against South Africa for the first time in 25 years, with the second Test defeat in Guwahati by 408 runs being the heaviest. All of it has prompted fans to question the 44-year-old’s abilities, while asking for his immediate sacking. 

However, the BCCI has remained firm in its support for Gambhir, with the outcome of the upcoming home white-ball series against South Africa and New Zealand being decisive. Should he be forced to step down, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who currently serves as the head coach of IPL side Punjab Kings and even guided them to the final of the 2025 season, is being seen by many as a replacement.

In the Australian cricket setup, Ponting served in various capacities, including as an assistant coach briefly between 2017 and 2018. Apart from the Aussie great, Ravi Shastri, VVS Laxman, Stephen Fleming and Andy Flower are the other contenders.

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