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A pure carnage! When Ricky Ponting smashed 196 to crush England in Ashes 2006

Poulomi Chakraborty

Ricky Ponting's thrilling Ashes knock (Source: @ICC/x.com)Ricky Ponting's thrilling Ashes knock (Source: @ICC/x.com)

When Ricky Ponting walked out to bat in Tests, it felt like Australia already had the upper hand. A nightmare for bowlers and a master of pressure, Ponting turned tense moments into pure dominance every single time.

Facing Australia on home soil is tough, but if Gabba becomes the venue, the situation becomes even trickier, and England have already faced the heat. Amidst all their faceoffs at the iconic venue, the Ashes opener of the 2006 edition was a classic.

Ricky Ponting may have fallen short of a double ton, but his ruthless 196 sent England’s bowlers into survival mode. Let’s look at the destructive innings that proved Australia’s Gabba dominance once again.

Double ton slips, dominance roars

Whenever the historic Ashes turns a chapter, the arch-rivals write their story of excellence. Over the years, the face-offs between England and Australia have written a new story of pure cricketing brilliance; the Gabba face-offs emerge as a different kind of legacy in the Ashes history. Gabba, Australia’s trusted force, has seen some of the Ashes classics, but the Ashes 2006 delivered a generational knock.

Gabba and domination—an Ashes tradition. In 2006, Ricky Ponting reminded the world why beating Australia at Brisbane is nearly impossible. Winning the toss, Australia opted to bat first, and England had a nightmare they never saw coming. Bowling first, the English side marked an early advantage, sending Matthew Hayden on 21 runs.

Australia is known for its ability to turn the pressure off from their shoulder and on that day, they did the same thing. After Ricky Ponting joined Langer, the Aussies never looked back. Stitching a 62-run partnership, Langer walked away scoring 82 runs, and Ponting held the control.

Swinging the bat in the air with unreal dominance, Ponting slammed a half-century in 65 balls. Channeling the exceptional form, he smashed another classic Test hundred in just 136 balls. In front of Ricky’s fury, English bowlers had a nightmare, and the Aussie captain made the day unforgettable for them for the wrong reason.

Ending the day one being in 137, Ponting started day 2 with the same domination. As English bowlers aimed for his wicket, Ponting crossed the 150-run mark in 235 balls. Pushing Australia hard, he aimed for a double hundred, but Hoggard dashed his dream.

In the 127th over, Ponting ended his dominating innings with 196 runs in 319 balls. The 196 may have missed the milestone, but it roared louder than any 200 ever could.

A fiery 60 not out ends England’s Gabba dreams

After putting on a total of 602 runs on the board, England ended their first innings on 157 runs. Australia had the option to force their arch-rivals for a follow-on, but they chose the path of domination. Coming to bat in the second innings, Matthew Hayden walked away on 37, and the English side was left traumatized once again.

After Ponting scored another 65-ball fifty, Langer shattered the English bowling lineup with a magnificent hundred. Declaring the innings in 202 runs, the Aussie bowlers ended England’s innings in 370 runs. With a sheer domination, Australia registered a massive 277-run victory.

Under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy, Australia experienced some unreal success. Over the World Cup glory, the Ashes during his leadership were a different kind of thriller. He missed a golden opportunity to score a double ton in the Test format, but the world saw Ponting’s carnage against the rivals.