Ricky Thomas Ponting

Ricky Thomas Ponting
(born December 19, 1974, in Launceston, Tasmania) is an Australian cricketer and current captain of the Australia national cricket team (for both One-Day International and Test cricket). Ricky Ponting is also Captain of the Tasmanian Tigers, although international duties make it difficult for him to appear for them. He is a specialist right-hand batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as being a very occasional, but aggressive, right-arm medium pacer.

Ponting reached international standards at a young age for a batsman, making his One-Day International debut in early 1995 and making his Test debut at the end of the year, before turning 21. However, his progress was not unhindered. He lost his place in the team several times due to lack of form and discipline issues, before rising to the ODI captaincy in early 2002 and becoming Test captain in early 2004. As of May 2007, he is the highest ranked Test batsman and the highest ranked ODI batsman in the ICC ratings.

SACHIN TENDULKAR

Sachin's debut The youngest player to wear a test cap for his country - Sachin Tendulkar was all of 16 years old when he took on the mighty Pakistanis in the first test at Karachi and played alongside some of his childhood heroes on debut. He was able to score only 15 runs in his first innings before he was castled by fellow debutante Waqar Younis. He followed up his first stint on the crease with a masterful 59 runs in the first innings of the second test at Faisalabad. What impressed the members of the cricketing fraternity and the fans alike was the determination with which this young man faced a tough opposition.The signs were all there - Sachin Tendulkar was not a flash in the pan, he had arrived and he was here to stay. He proved that when he slammed a gutsy 55 on a fast green top in the second inns of the 4th test at Sialkot and bailed the Indians out of trouble and helped them save the test match.

Since then Sachin has performed feats that border on the unimaginable in both forms of the game scoring 30 test centuries and 33 one day tons. Every time he walks into bat he carries the hopes of a billion people who look to him as the sole provider of hope in a nation surrounded by gloom, despair and corruption and a nation so incredibly starved of heroes. Sachin is the darling of the masses not just in India but the world over. That was proved when at age 19 he had the unique honour bestowed on him when he was invited as the first overseas player in 130 years by the Yorkshire county in England. He impressed all not only by his immense talent with the bat but also his humility prompting Ex Yorkshire player and a self confessed Sachin fan Geoffrey Boycott to remark, "We'd have him back tomorrow if we could!".