Ricky Ponting was in the crossroads of his career heading into the 1997 Ashes Test but he made it count with a fantastic century at Leeds that turned his career around.
Follow Us
When he started out his cricket career, Ricky Ponting was at a crossroads. He had missed out on a chance of scoring a century on debut when he was dismissed for 96 against Sri Lanka in Perth in 1995. A couple of fifties were hit but he did not hit a century. In ODIs, he had been impressed with a couple of centuries but it was in Test cricket that Ponting wanted to make a mark. There were also reports of disciplinary issues against him. He had finally touched rock bottom when he was dropped for the first three Ashes Tests against England in 1997. However, when Michael Bevan failed in the first three Tests, Ponting was called back. The stakes were high heading into the fourth Test in Leeds. The series was tied 1-1.
Australia chose to bowl and Jason Gillespie was in tremendous form. He picked 7/37 and ran through the England batting to bowl them out for 172. This would be Gillespie’s best returns in Tests. But, England fought back brilliantly. The pitch was assisting the pacers both in the air and off the seam. England reduced Australia to 50/4. This was make-or-break for Ponting. He had Matthew Elliott for company, who had hit a splendid hundred in Lord’s earlier. In the course of the next couple of days, Leeds would witness a birth of a legend.
There is something about Australia players dominating the world stage when they do well in the Ashes. Shane Warne’s first ball in Ashes cricket in England produced the ‘Ball of the Century’ at Old Trafford. The ball to dismiss Mike Gatting was simply sensational. Warne would dominate the international scene for 13 years, ending with 708 wickets.
Leeds 1997 would see the birth of Ricky Ponting as a legend. England’s bowlers tried to intimidate Ponting with short balls. On a pitch that aided the bowlers with a full length, England decided to bowl short. Dean Headley bowled a short ball at Ponting and he pulled the ball to the fence for a boundary. That was the shot that got him going.
To compound England’s woes, the sun came out and the pitch eased off. There was not much swing off the wicket. Ponting unleashed himself with some crisp drives and pull shots. The confidence grew with every passing hour. He was getting good support from Elliott as well.
Ponting raced past the 80s and 90s with some crisp strokes. The youngster went past his highest score by driving Headley to the extra cover fence. He nudged Robert Croft the offspinner to the leg side for a quick single to notch up his maiden century. The relief was palpable on his face. It was the start of something special for Australia and world cricket. The partnership with Matthew Elliott was worth 268 runs. Ponting blasted 127 which included 16 fours and one six. Elliott was incredibly unlucky to have been dismissed for 199 by Darren Gough.
Australia declared on 501/9, taking a lead of 329 runs. Nasser Hussain hit a century but it was not enough for England to avert defeat. Australia won by an innings and 61 runs. Paul Reiffel took 5/49 as Australia took a lead in the six-match Ashes series. Australia would go on to win the six-Test series 3-2, which was the fifth consecutive time they secured the Ashes.
In his book At the Close of Play, Ponting highlighted the significance of the knock. He stated that England did not do their homework on him and that the exhibition of shot bowling meant that they wanted to test him. With his brilliant strokeplay and nimble footwork, Ponting went on to carve his name in the history books.
The first hundred is always special and Ponting would go on to smash 41 Test tons. In a stellar 16-year career, Ponting would amass 13704 runs with 30 centuries in 375 ODIs. In 168 Tests, Ponting would hit 13378 runs at an average of 51 with 41 tons. For a period of the decade from 2000 to 2010, Ponting was second-best only behind Sachin Tendulkar. But, in his glorious career, Ponting would forever be remembered for his three World Cup wins and also leading Australia undefeated to two titles in 2003 and 2007. It all began in Leeds 1997.
