'Punter' Ponting has an opportunity to bow out on a high in South Africa

Cape Town (S.Africa), Nov.8 (ANI): All great careers must come to an end, but former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has the opportunity to bow out on a high during the current two Test match series against South Africa.

According to Greg Baum of the Sydney Morning Herald, Ponting is perched on that precipitous threshold between a brilliant, complete career and playing one season too many.

"If he is still good enough, a rapid succession of matches against South Africa, New Zealand and India can be his Indian summer. But South Africa is not the sort of team inclined to line his way with palm fronds," says Baum.

It is a cricketer's most devilish decision: when to walk.

Ponting's predecessors as captain did it differently. Steve Waugh went later; that hundred against England bought him the year's grace he needed. Three more hundreds against compliant opposition rounded out his record.

Mark Taylor went sooner, less than three months after making 334 not out in a Test match against Pakistan. Having barely survived one previous lean patch, he didn't wait for another.

Allan Border didn't go at all; he was terminated.

For Ponting, the wrench will be all the greater for the fact that he is Australia's first trained-from-birth Test captain.

Cricket is all he has known and all he has needed to know. As recently as this time last year, he was Australia's best batsman on a tour of India. As recently as March, he was still Australian captain. Now his cricketing life is ebbing away.

Ponting's batting is still Test-class, but he doesn't close the deal like he did. He reaches 50 less often, and turns fewer of those 50s into hundreds.

His last Test century was an innings of 209 against Pakistan in Hobart almost two years ago, the longest spell between drinks of his career. It was also his last first-class century.

Since the start of 2009, he has averaged 37 in Tests. In one-day cricket, he has been consistent rather than prolific.

It is not a calamitous record but, at nearly 37, it is not going to improve suddenly, concludes Baum. (ANI)