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No Cummins? Ponting unveils all-time Australia XI, includes only one player beyond his era

Aakash Saini

Pat Cummins and Ricky Ponting [Source: AFP, @mufaddal_vohra/x]Pat Cummins and Ricky Ponting [Source: AFP, @mufaddal_vohra/x]

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting spent his career surrounded by some of the most dominant cricket teams the game has ever seen, sharing dressing rooms with giants across eras. But that does not mean the generations before or after him in Australian cricket were short of greatness.

And yet, Ponting named just one certain individual who played beyond his era as he picked his all-time greatest Australian XI. A three-time World Cup-winning cricketer, including two as captain, the legendary right-handed batter named as many as 10 players who were once his teammates, and that’s excluding his personal 12th man choice.

Ricky Ponting picks Australia XI, names most underrated cricketer

While speaking with bet365 Australia, Ricky Ponting was asked to name his all-time greatest Australia XI. While the two-time World Cup-winning captain modestly excluded himself, he picked a slew of his past batchmates, barring one certain individual player from beyond his era.

The player in contention being the late Don Bradman, the all-time great who averaged a staggering 99.94 in Test cricket. Interestingly, Ricky Ponting did not pick a single player who made his debut for Australia after his exit from the game in 2012.

While naming his team, Ponting also described Damien Martyn “one of the most underrated players for Australia.” Here is a look at Ricky Ponting’s entire all-time Australia playing XI, along with a 12th man.

Ricky Ponting all-time Australia XI:

Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Don Bradman, Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath.

12th man: Darren Lehmann

Ricky Ponting’s choice of neglecting all players who either made their debuts after his exit or during the twilight of his career was certainly an interesting one, considering Australia won the ODI World Cups of 2015 and 2023 and the T20 title of 2021.

Players like David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, all pillars of Australia’s modern era, were overlooked, making Ricky Ponting’s XI potentially a snapshot firmly rooted in nostalgia.