Ponting named Sheffield Shield ‘player of the year’
In a poignant reminder of what the Australian team is missing, Ricky Ponting was deservedly named Sheffield Shield player of the year at the state cricket awards in Hobart.
At the close of another season dominated by seam bowlers, Ponting claimed the award for his 875 runs at 87.50, two votes ahead of the South Australia swing bowler Chadd Sayers and six clear of the young New South Wales seamer Gurinder Sandhu and the Queensland Usman Khawaja.
Ahead of this week's Shield final, in which he has the chance to win a domestic trophy with Tasmania in person for the first time, Ponting was at peace with the decision to call time on his international career late last year.
While he admitted that 2012-13 had not been the season he had hoped for at its beginning, as a poor series against South Africa pushed him towards retirement, Ponting did not give much
batsman thought to the idea that he had been hasty.
"International cricket's long passed me by and I've been really excited about giving back to Tasmanian cricket whatever I could this season, Ponting said. "I'm playing a bit of cricket through the off-season as well, which will probably get me over another preseason, so I'll see how we go as far as playing for Tasmania next season is concerned.
"The decision you make to retire when you do is a very big one and I know I put a lot of time and thought into making the decision that I made for all the right reasons."
As for the recent travails of the Test team in India, Ponting reminded all those present of his own struggles to adapt to the subcontinent in his earlier days.
"The first three or four tours there I couldn't score a run, our players will learn a lot for next time," Ponting said. "I've tried to distance myself from watching too much international cricket since I retired. We're all a bit disappointed the team hasn't played a bit better. Michael Clarke and Mickey Arthur have both been round block a few times and know how to bounce back."
Among other awards, Aaron Finch won the limited overs trophy after a strong year for the Bushrangers, while Nicole Bolton took the garlands for the Women's National Cricket League. Members of the Bulls squad were notably absent from the teams of the year nominated by their peers, something that raised Ponting's eyebrows.
"I must admit I'm very surprised not to see any of their guys in the teams announced here today," he said. "But no surprise for me to see the two teams that you'd say from the outside have the best culture and work ethic around the country find themselves playing the Sheffield Shield final this week."