****Unofficial**** Ponting's Legacy Thread

[benchmark00]

Oooh, forgot Bodyline. My bad, yea.

So are you going to keep picking on examples I've forgotten, or focus on this part instead:

What examples are you actually going to show of teams 'enjoying themselves' playing cricket? Or is it you just have contempt for that Australian team because they actually won? Seems the latter.

 

[benchmark00]

I mean really, your argument is that they never had fun while playing? They only had fun because they won?

This is mind boggling.

 

[cnerd123]

The reason they "showed" that was because they were better, quite simply. Hard to be ruthless or look driven when you're being steamrollered.

I assume you didn't enjoy SA's cricket over the last three days of the series, either, given that it was textbook ruthless cricket.

I enjoyed watching it in for what it was -Good Cricket-, but yea, I woudn't say that any of the South Africa lineup are in my list of favourite players excluding Amla.

Although the Guard of Honour to Ponting was brilliant to see. Great spirit.

Players who I like/liked watching...Warne, Cairns, Sehwag, Flintoff (especially during the '05 Ashes at the end with Lee), Murali, Inzamam, Afridi (although he can be a **** at times), Laxman, Panesar, almost all minnow teams and players.

Guys like Kumble and Dravid were two who tried really hard to win, who were desperate to win, but very rarely let themselves get overwhelmed by emotion on the field in the course of it. That's good too.

There is a reason I support BD. For all the thrashings they get, they always seem to enjoy their cricket when playing. They enjoy their time out their on the field. That has changed recently though, guys like Shakib and Mushfiqur and Tamim are harder, more competitive. They show their disappointment after a loss, get visibly upset on the field, get angry.

It's easier said than done but...relax. It's just a game afterall.

@bechmark - like I said, I can't read their minds. But watching them play would suggest, to me anyways, that they weren't enjoying just being out their on the park playing cricket. They wanted to win. They weren't just happy playing, they were happy when they were winning.

 

[weldone]

***** - Just one question - do you really like Darren Sammy?

 

[cnerd123]

Like him as a person, I like his interviews and the way he talks about his team. But if you're asking about how he is on the field, honestly I haven't watched him enough to know. Even the BD/WI ODIs I've just been following on Cricinfo while watching Aus/RSA.

 

[Burgey]

Lol, I like how offended you are getting over someone having an opinion on the internet.

Honest question now, winning is a big part of Aussie culture isn't it? Back when I was younger, me and my friends used to love playing cricket just for the sake of it being cricket. We like batting, bowling, fielding. And naturally, when playing, we tried our best to win. But we always hated that one kid who was out there getting angry at the bowlers for bowling a wide, or who put all the fielders on the offside when he came on the bowl and then proceeded to bowl 2 feet outside off. The guy who didn't say 'nice shot' when the opposing batsman hit it well, or who got mad and angry and sulked when his team was losing.

I'm guessing kids like that are common in Aus? The prevailing mentality is probably 'Play to win or don't play at all?'

Because I used to play for fun. Win or lose was irrelevant. It was about challenging yourself, doing your best, and appreciating when others did well as well. Winning was secondary to the process of playing good cricket (or football even).

Winning is everything in competitive sport. Everything.

 

[Howe_zat]

I think the fact that he was so godly for a period will be forgotten over time and his batting average that now seems pretty humane will in future not earn him a place in shortlist of players second to Bradman.

The idea that Ponting's figures don't reflect much in the same way as Richards' seems off to me. Ponting does have the record books on his side. He averaged 60 after 100 Tests, he has the most wins in Test history as captain or not, he has the most runs in a 52-test streak bar Bradman, and the best-ever ICC rankings place him at the 4th best batsman of all time - not only far higher than Tendulkar, Kallis or Lara but also staring down at Sobers, Hammond, Chappell, Headley, Pollock and Border.

Yes there will be people who misuse his stats, but since when has anyone given a toss what they have to say? Even just from a record-books point of view, he's up there with anyone, and if someone claims otherwise Ponting has more than enough runs behind him to back him up. He doesn't need people to make excuses for him.

 

[Daemon]

I never liked Ponting as a player because he scored too many runs and Australia won too often, and of course he had more than his fair share of douche moments.

Can't change my impression of him unfortunately so that's how I'll be remembering him.

 

[benchmark00]

PS. I am not a crackpot.

 

[TumTum]

I don't think Ponting has that much of a legacy. Great player and highly respected but I don't think he has changed cricket in any significant way. Will be remembered to having captained one of the best teams and being the last player to retire from the golden age. But is that a legacy or just a tribute?

Players like Tendulkar and Warne have had the biggest impact on the game IMO from the modern era. Tendulkar is like a god in India, responsible to introducing thousands/millions to the game in Asia, they only go to the cricket to watch him bat. Warne was probably the only "feared" spin bowler, and I remember during Australia's golden years he was by far the most popular cricketer (for right or wrong reasons). Most cricket fans probably aspire to be able to bat like Tendulkar and bowl like Warne.

 

[Satyanash89]

There are many, many reasons to hate Ponting (pathetic behaviour with umpires on numerous occasions, abusing poor vegetarian indian bowlers whove hit him in the face with a bouncer, generally whiny and bitchy demeanor on the field, and repeatedly somehow not getting appropriately punished by officials), but saying that you dont like him because he doesnt smile like an idiot when he plays is worthy of a few laughs.
The drive and ruthlessness of Waugh, Warne, McGrath, Ponting made them the champions they were, not like the soft little ****s of today. But i for one love to see aggression on the field in tough situations... imagine its the world cup final and australia need 4 runs to win with a couple of balls to go, would you like to see Ponting smiling away as if he had no care in the world or see him going toe to toe with the bowler trying to get inside his head?

Everyone cant be Dravid (ie) perfect, FFS

 

[Jono]

Everyone cant be Dravid (ie) perfect, FFS

Amla can, best bloke in cricket and he has a beard. The new benchmark of awesome.

 

[Spark]

Asked for a hug, too. What a guy.

EDIT: Oh ffs did you have to use the word "benchmark"

 

[Jono]

Also hugs Ponting.

Edit: nah Spak not having that.

Edit2: Keeping "Spak" ftr, not changing it.

 

[Satyanash89]

Amla can, best bloke in cricket and he has a beard. The new benchmark of awesome.

If he stays his same awesome self throughout his career like Dravid then sure... i have very little doubt he will... amla is pretty much my favorite cricketer right now

 

[benchmark00]

benchmark and awesome have been synonymous for decades ftr.

 

[harsh.ag]

Ponting's retirement should be more of a big deal than it is being made of in the international cricketing circles. There appear to be quiet, approving murmurs befitting a sincere servant to the country, not the roaring carnivals that should be associated with a gladiator returning to the capital. Or, even Dravid got a better sendoff.

 

[Arachnodouche]

umm...says something though, doesn't it?

 

[Senile Sentry]

Just to clarify before I get handed another infra, are we allowed to criticize Ponting in this?

Not being facetious, just honest question.

 

[Prince EWS]

Just to clarify before I get handed another infra, are we allowed to criticize Ponting in this?

Not being facetious, just honest question.

Yeah. If we think you're just trying to piss off his fans and troll then of course that's not on, but this isn't a tribute thread so if you have an honest gripe as you do then it's fine to discuss it here.