Ricky Ponting officially inducted into ICC’s Hall of Fame

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was formally inducted into ICC’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

A veteran of 168 Tests for Australia, Ponting was handed a commemorative cap by none other than former teammate Glenn McGrath during tea on the first day of the third Test against India in Melbourne.

“It’s an incredible feeling, I think for it to happen here at the MCG is what makes the whole thing a little bit more special. I found out today I am one of 25 Australians to be inducted. When you play one Test for Australia, you join a very elite group of players but now to part of the ICC Hall of Fame, you join an even more elite group of cricketers, so it’s a pretty special day today,” said Ponting after receiving the cap.

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“I have lots of great memories with Glenn. I went to the cricket academy with Glenn in about 1990, so I have known Glenn for a long time. It’s a really cool thing that they do to have a fellow inductee actually hand over your cap and induct you in, so to have someone like Glenn do it, with whom I’m working with now and have played with for 10 or 12 years, makes the whole thing a little bit better.

“It’s great recognition. I thank the ICC for what they have done in making this possible. To be here in the MCG with 75,000 people, it makes it an awesome day,” he added.

The right-hander who led Australia to two World Cup titles is the 25th cricketer from his country to have been formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Ponting called it quits in 2012 after having mustered 13, 378 runs in a total of 168 Test appearances with 41 hundreds.

He also has 13,704 runs in 375 ODIs with 30 hundreds while in the shortest format, he had accumulated 401 runs in 17 T20Is with two fifties to his name.