Well, there was no fairytale triple hundred, but Ricky Ponting’s final Test innings sure was emotional. From the moment Ricky was greeted by a guard of honour from the classy South African’s, there was that sense that even the most burly of blokes would be sniffing back the tears and trying to blame the uncharacteristic eye leakages on extreme hay-fever or a rouge eye-bound projectile.
With a brief reminder of the past, Ricky hit boundaries with a signature pull shot and and classic cover drive before nicking one through to the slips.
Ricky Ponting 8 c J.Kallis b R.Peterson
If ever there was a time Punter deserved a bit of luck…
Oh fuck!
The Proteas rejoice. Ricky’s career is over and Australia’s run chase is on the skids. At least he’s trending on Twitter!
Smith earned props four years ago by playing on with his broken hand. The way he handled his team in what was a special moment for Australian cricket has to be respected. Probably didn’t hurt that they were 500-odd in front but still…
You stay classy South Africa!
The final straw for even the most resilient was when Punter uncharacteristically turned and acknowledged the crowd for the last time in his career. Now if you excuse me, I have to go cut some onions.
Pictures by Robert Cianflone,Cameron Spencer, and Greg Wood at Getty Images
