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Ricky Ponting announced today that he is stepping down as the Australian captain. He will continue to be available as a batsman in both Tests and ODIs. My quick thoughts on this announcement and Ponting’s legacy as a captain:

- Ponting has the best record as a captain. His record (164 wins in ODIs, 48 Test wins) will probably stand for a long time, until another world beating XI is produced.

- He leaves with his head held high. A final captain’s innings that will be remembered.

- Much of his success in captaincy will be attributed to the star players in his team: McGrath, Warne, Hayden, Langer, Gilchrist and others. He had the best fast bowlers, best spinner, best wicketkeeper-batsman and the best pair of opening batsmen. So, would anyone have done this well given such a stellar team? I tend to agree. What made the difference though, was Ponting’s batting form through his captaincy.

- Ponting’s batting was a big plus; He led by example. He fought lone battles (Ashes centuries) and performed when it mattered (2003 World cup final). I can’t recall many occasions when his captaincy has led to crucial twists in the game; when he has made inspired bowling changes or changed the batting order to fit the bill. In fact, I remember watching Australia and feeling baffled by his field placements and bowling plan. I always felt that Ponting’s tactics were suspect, attributed most of it to Buchanan, who is weird in his own way.

- Punter will be known more for the losses the Australian team went through under his captaincy than the number of wins; mainly because during his tenure, Australia went from invincibles to a rebuilding team. They lost the Ashes, the World Cup, the number one ranking, and haven’t been able to groom players to fill the shoes of the ones that retired. Ponting may very well be known as the captain who lost three Ashes series.

- Clarke as a captain? Sure, he has been groomed to be one right from the start of his career. But from what I’ve seen, I have my doubts. I think Haddin would make a good captain.

- How long with Ponting continue as a player? Throughout the world, it is common for ex-captains to play and do well under the new captains. Think of Tendulkar doing great under Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and then Dhoni. You also have Jayawardhane under Sangakkara, Gayle under Sammy, even Ganguly under Dravid. The curious thing, though, is that this is not the usual case with Australian players. Their captains, once they are stripped of their captaincy, rarely play and do well with their successors. I have to go back to Kim Hughes playing under Border to remember. So, one season max for Ponting?

- Ponting’s batting may see a partial revival though. He has said that he would like to see a resurgence like Tendulkar. I think his hand-eye coordination is pretty much gone. He may have an odd innings under his belt like the one against India, but I don’t think his technique will improve. He can mentally block bad shots and stay and grind and be a good #4 or #5 in a side that doesn’t depend on him. He is helped by a soft tour next (at Bangladesh) before they go to Sri Lanka and South Africa. Ponting is also helped by the fact that others in the middle order are not doing great as well. Clarke and Hussey have not been in good form (Hussey had a good Ashes series). Usman Khawaja is waiting in the wings, and I hope he gets a permanent place in the playing XI.

- Last word is Zaltzman’s: “A great age in English cricket is over. Ricky Ponting quits as Australian captain.”