In what can be called the final nail in the coffin, Ricky Ponting surprisingly announced that he would no longer be the Australian captain. While he says there has been no compulsion on him, obviously the many things said and the indications given would have perhaps forced Ricky Ponting to take the route before being given the boot.
Following Australia’s loss to India in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 quarterfinals, Ponting was quick to reiterate that he would not shy away from the Australian captain’s job but rather believed he could continue along until the selectors thought otherwise. This decision a couple of days later then should signal that perhaps there was something brewing behind the scenes that prompted Ponting to take the decision. Ponting though makes no mention of it, if anything, he deliberately suggests that the arriving at this decision was solely his.

Ponting has been the Australian captain when Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup twice in a row. But he was also the captain when Australia recently lost the Ashes for a third time under his tenure and also, lost the Border Gavaskar Trophy to India.

Ponting though has nursed ambitions for Australia while also wanting to emulate Sachin Tendulkar is accelerating towards runs milestones. However, the job has sometimes got in the way. Indicating that his personal ambitions are not quite dusted like the captaincy, Ponting intends to contribute to the team as a senior member of the squad in his role as a specialist batsman.