Ricky Ponting Retired International Cricket After the third test against South Africa

Ricky Ponting will retire from Test Cricket after 3rd Test against South Africa at Perth. Ricky Ponting has played 167 tests and scored 13,366 runs. 

 Ricky Ponting decision follows from his poor in the ongoing South Africa series and a meeting with Australian Selectors.

Ricky Ponting said i was falling at the big moments. My decision is based on performances in ongoing series. The entire Australian squad attended the press conference ponting made his retirement to public. Ponting will continue to play for Tasmania State. 

Ricky Ponting Career Records:

Tests

Matches - 167

Innings - 285

Not outs - 29

Runs - 13,336

High Score - 257

Average - 52.21

100's - 41

50's - 62

catches - 196

ODIS

Matches - 375

Innings - 365

Not Outs - 39

Runs - 13,706

High Score - 164

Average - 42.03

100'S - 30

50's - 82

Catches - 160

T20S

Matches - 17

Runs - 401

High Score - 98*

Average - 28.64

Australia dominate in the drawn match against South Africa

1st Test, Australia Vs South Africa, Day 5

The Gabba, Brisbane,

Australia,

November 9-13, 2012

Socrecard:

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first

South Africa 1st Innings 450 all out in 151.4 overs

Jacques Kallis 147 (14 fours and 1 six)

Hashim Amla 104 (7 fours and 1six)

Alviro Petersen 64 (7 fours)

James Pattinson 3-93

Australia 1st Innings 565 for 5 in 138 overs (Dec.)

Michael Clarke 259* (26 fours)

Ed Cowan 136 (17 fours)

Michael Hussey 100 (13 fours)

Morne Morkel 3-127

South Africa 2nd Innings 166 for 5 68 overs

Jacques Kallis 49

Hashim Amla 38

AB de Villiers 29*

James Pattinson 2-58

Nathan Lyon 2-41

Match Drawn

Man of the Match - Michael Clarke

Sri Lanka thrash Australia by 8 wickets for first win

Sydney: Mahela Jayawardene smashed an unbeaten half-century to lead Sri Lanka to a commanding eight-wicket win over Australia and back into limited-overs tri-series finals contention on Friday.

Australia were bowled out for just 158, their lowest ODI total at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 1997, after the match was reduced to 41-over innings due to a two-hour rain interruption.

Faced with an amended victory target of 152 after adjustments made under the Duckworth-Lewis Method, the Sri Lankans wasted no time in aggressively chasing down their first win of the tri-series.

Jayawardene carried his bat for 61 not out off 67 balls as the Sri Lankans reached the winning total in just the 25th over.

"We needed a start," Jayawardene said. "I have done opening before, and thankfully it worked today. We knew we had to win today."

India lead the series by a point from Australia, while Sri Lanka, with a bonus point, are only two behind the host side.

Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan shared an almost run-a-ball 74-run opening partnership as the Australia bowlers failed to make an impression.

Dilshan made 45 off 41 balls before Clint McKay (1-23) finally make a breakthrough when he had the opener caught at slip by David Hussey in the 12th over.

Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara then shared 59 runs until Sangakkara was caught by Xavier Doherty at mid-on off Brett Lee (1-42), leaving Sri Lanka requiring 21 runs with 20 overs remaining. Sangakkara had 30 off 29 balls, and became the 10th man to pass 10,000 ODI runs, and the third Sri Lankan.

David Hussey's aggressive 58 off 64 balls was the sole highlight for Australia's innings as the hosts were dismissed two balls short of their 41 overs.

Man of the Match Thisera Perera returned figures of 2-29, as well as being responsible for a run-out. Farveez Maharoof had 2-18 and took the important catch of opener David Warner.

"The pitch didn't have the sort of pace we thought it had, and their bowlers capitalized," stand-in captain Ricky Ponting said. "Full credit to Sri Lanka, they bowled and fielded really well, and played their shots in the chase."

Hussey shared a 49-run, ninth-wicket partnership with tailender Mitchell Starc (17) which saved Australia from total capitulation.

Warner made just 13 before being caught by Maharoof off Lasith Malinga (1-42) and Ponting faced just 10 balls before being caught and bowled by Maharoof for 2.

Wade was run out on 15 in the next over thanks to some athletic fielding from Perera at short-cover.

Michael Hussey was caught behind off Angelo Mathews (1-26) for 13, before Maharoof claimed his second wicket when he had Peter Forrest caught by Mathews for 16.

Perera trapped Dan Christian lbw for 6 to leave Australia at 81-6 when rain interrupted play.

Clint McKay faced just eight balls after the resumption of play before he was out lbw to Rangana Herath (1-12) for 3 and Brett Lee failed to score before he was run out.

Australia meet India on Sunday in Brisbane.

Australia win by 298 runs to sweep series

Adelaide: Australia registered an emphatic 298–run on the fifth day of the final Test match against India at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday to complete a 4-0 clean sweep.

Chasing a mammoth target of 500 to win, India suffered yet another batting collapse on the fourth day and were reduced to 166 for 6 at stumps. But it took the Australian bowlers less than an hour and just 14.4 overs to wrap up India's tail on the fifth morning.

Ryan Harris ensured that early inroads were made when he drew Ishant Sharma (2) into having a dab at a delivery that moved away from him in just the third over, the edge was found and Brad Haddin did the rest.

Having provided stern resistance in the first innings, Wriddhiman Saha (3) offered little this time around, pushing forward at a fullish ball from Peter Siddle and edging to Haddin.

Zaheer, unlike his previous innings in the series, seemed determined to spent time at the crease rather than flashing at every delivery. He batted for 18 balls from which he scored 15 runs with the help of three boundaries before Ben Hilfenhaus sent him packing. Zaheer lobbed a simple catch to David Warner in the covers while trying to pull a short delivery off Hilfenhaus.

Only four bowlers got a go on the final day and in a turn that has mirrored the series, with all the bowlers chipping in, it was Nathan Lyon who ended the contest when he had Umesh Yadav (1) caught behind.

Ravichandran Ashwin remained unbeaten for India on 15 which came off 31 balls. Lyon turned out to be the best bowler for Australia, finishing with impressive figures of four for 63, while Harris picked up three wickets for 41 runs.

Peter Siddle was declared Man of the Match and Michael Clarke Man of the Series.

The Australians had everything going their way throughout the series. The under-pressure seniors Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey came good, with Clarke enhancing his reputation as a captain. The bowling unit was just too good for the Indian batsmen and never let the Indians settle by picking up wickets at regular interval.

This is India's second Test series whitewash in less than a year and eighth straight loss overseas after they were beaten 4-0 by England in 2011.

Australia lead by 382 despite Kohli's ton

Adelaide: Australia were 50 for 3 in their second innings at stumps on the third day of the fourth Test against India in Adelaide, and overall lead of 382 runs. Michael Clarke was on 9 and Ricky Ponting on 1 when the players left the field for the day.

Virender Sehwag rolled the dice and opened the bowling with R Ashwin and he did not disappoint the skipper. David Warner was the first batsmen to be dismissed, giving a return catch to Ashwin for 28.

Shaun Marsh, who has had a disastrous Test series with the bat against India, failed to open his account when he was trapped in front of the wickets by Zaheer Khan. Three balls later, Ashwin claimed his second wicket of the innings trapping Ed Cowan for 10 to leave Australia in a bit of a bother at 41 for 3. But then the star duo of Clarke and Ponting saw off the day without any fuss.

Earlier, Virat Kohli proved that there is some life in the Indian batting order with his maiden Test century. However, his effort went in vain as it was not enough to stop India from incurring a 332-run first-innings deficit. Kohli top-scored with 116 as Australia decided not to enforce the follow-on.

Destined to lose the series after humbling defeats in the first three Tests and chasing Australia's 604 for 7, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman departed before lunch and India looked to be flirting with the follow-on. Having seen his more experienced colleagues depart all too easily, Kohli - with some help from Wriddhiman Saha - provided some much-needed resistance. Kohli and Saha put on 114 for the sixth wicket and lasted all but the entire afternoon session.

The duo mixed up aggression with patience as they forced the Australian bowlers to toil in the afternoon heat. Such was the comfortable nature with which the batsmen progressed that Clarke was left rushing through part-timers and spinners in an effort to bring about the arrival of the second new ball.

Ryan Harris gave the home side a timely boost with the new ball by removing Saha when the batsman shouldered arms to an in-swinger which hit his off stump in the final over before tea. With the resistance broken, Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus ran through the remainder of the order, with the former picking up his first five-wicket haul of the series.

With the option of sending India back in to bat, Clarke decided against enforcing the follow-on.

Sixers through to Big Bash final

A bloodied Brett Lee has helped ensure the Sydney Sixers will play the Perth Scorchers in Saturday's Big Bash League final after a seven-run win over the Hobart Hurricanes at Bellerive.

Sporting a bleeding nose after a mid-pitch collision with Hurricanes batsman Phil Jaques, Lee and captain Steven Smith grabbed two wickets each as the Sixers defended what had appeared to be a below par 6-153.

The former Test spearhead finished with the impressive figures of 2-22 from his four overs after making the initial breakthrough to remove in-form opener Jonathan Wells for 11 and then hammering one of the final nails into the Hurricanes' campaign with the wicket of Jason Krejza.

Smith finished with 2-22 from two overs, while old-stager Stuart MacGill got the vital wicket of BBL top-scorer Travis Birt for 11 to begin the home side's collapse.

Only Jaques offered any real resistance with 63 off 48 before Smith bowled him trying to reverse sweep to all but end the Hurricanes' fight.

Classy Sixers batsman Nic Maddinson top-scored for the visitors with 58 off 51 balls and eight fours as his side managed just two sixes for the innings.

The Hurricanes were in unfamiliar waters when they lost big guns Birt (11 off 15) and Owais Shah (0 off 3) within the space of one run to be teetering at 3-51.

Needing one of their lesser lights to step up, 'keeper Tom Triffitt looked likely in making 16 off 14 before he was caught superbly by a diving Stephen O'Keefe at 4-85.

Jaques brought up his 50 off 42 balls by pulling Stuart MacGill for four but when Matt Johnston went for just six the home side were staring down the barrel at 5-107.

Lee said he had been putting in extra net work in an attempt to be right for Australia's coming one-day matches after recovering from surgery to have his appendix removed in South Africa.

"That's the reason why I'm running around out here," he said.

"The big picture for me is get back and lead the one-day attack.

"Hopefully we'll get the call for that."

He said the Sixers were still to play their best cricket as they head to the WACA.

"We've played well batting wise and then bowling wise but we haven't really put the two together," he said.

"Tonight was probably the best we've played collectively."

Hurricanes captain Xavier Doherty rated his side's BBL campaign as fair.

"Obviously you rate your success or failure on making the final or making the Champions League," he said.

"Unfortunately we didn't quite get there. We gave it a pretty good shake."

Sixers hold off Scorchers

The Sydney Sixers have defeated Twenty20 Big Bash leaders the Perth Scorchers by one run in a grandstand finish at the SCG on Wednesday.

The Scorchers needed 13 runs off Brett Lee's last over after the Sixers had looked well and truly home having made 176 after electing to bat.

That was until Moises Henriques was blasted for 21 runs off the third last over after bowling two no balls that were hit for four and six respectively.

But Scorchers' paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile could not get Marcus North (59 off 52 balls) on strike in the last over and he was run out, with the former needing three runs from the last delivery.

Lee looked to have wrapped up the match when Coulter-Nile chopped onto his stumps from the second last ball but it was deemed a no ball. He followed that with a wide to set up the tense finale.

Earlier, Test quick Mitchell Starc tore through the Scorchers' top order to turn the game in the Sixers' favour with three wickets in five balls to peg the visitors back to 3-34 after they had made a steady start in reply to Sydney's 176.

Nic Maddinson's 49 and Steve Smith's rapid half century set up the Sixers' innings before Starc skittled the Scorchers' star-studded top order. North chipped away at his 45-ball half century for the Scorchers. 

Under-fire Brad Haddin did little to grasp a golden opportunity to make some runs for the Sixers ahead of Australia's fourth Test with India in Adelaide, making way for a two-ball duck.

In the end his innings was ineffectual with Starc doing the damage with the back-to-back wickets of the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitch, and that of Paul Collingwood three balls later, all in the fifth over.

Shaun Marsh was unlucky to edge a full ball onto his stumps for 18 and was closely followed back to the pavilion by younger brother Mitch for a golden duck from a sublime delivery.

Starc pitched it full with swing and the ball crept straight through Mitch Marsh's defence to rip out middle stump.

The left-armer almost had a hat-trick with the Sixers going up with a collective appeal for lbw but Collingwood was adjudged to have caught an edge on the way through and his blushes were spared.

Only for two balls though, with the menacing Starc producing an almost identical ball to the one that trapped Mitch Marsh at the crease - full with late swing back into leg stump.

From 3-34 off five overs, North and Simon Katich (31) provided resistance for the shell-shocked Scorchers before he was run out by Moises Henriques.

For the Sixers, Haddin lasted two balls before he was dismissed for a duck by Michael Beer, flaying an arm ball through to the keeper while attempting to guide to third man.

Fellow Sixers' opener Michael Lumb soon followed him for three when he was trapped lbw by a brilliant yorker from Nathan Coulter-Nile as the hosts made a rocky start to fall to 2-22.

At that stage Maddinson had started to find his range with a trio of boundaries and his innings became all the more crucial.

The 20-year-old smashed back-to-back sixes off Ben Edmondson's first over and carted Coulter-Nile in the next to race to 40 off 23 balls, with all but three of the Sixes' total.

The youngster fell just a run shy of his half century while pulling straight to deep backward square leg. Veteran Brad Hogg found a little extra bounce to take the wicket with Edmondson making no mistake with the catch.

With the Sixers well placed Henriques and Smith added 35 for the fourth wicket.

Henriques provided the graft with 31 off 33 before he was dismissed by the same Hogg-Edmondson combination while Smith provided the fireworks, with a quick-fire 51 off 25 deliveries before he unluckily chopped a ball off his pads and onto the stumps with the score 5-142.

The tail fell over for just 34 runs to be all out for 176 after Dominic Thornely had added a handy 19 off just eight deliveries.

Hobart win thriller

The Hobart Hurricanes secured a home Big Semi Final with a nail-biting seven-wicket win over the Melbourne Renegades with just one ball to spare at Blundstone Arena on Wednesday.

Needing one to win from the final ball of Shahid Afridi's over, Owais Shah (49) didn't need to get bat on ball, with the spinner bowling a wide to gift the home side victory.

Set 174 to win, the Hurricanes made a steady start and accelerated brilliantly during the innings with Jonathan Wells (72) the mainstay.

But when Wells was caught at deep midwicket in the 18th over the Hurricanes still needed 20 to win and it was left to Shah and Phil Jaques (12) to get the home side over the line.

An audacious ramp shot from Jaques off the bowling of Dirk Nannes (1-22) left 10 to get from the final over. He then took three with a reverse sweep to keep the Renegades guessing, but singles from the next two balls meant Hobart needed five from the last two balls to win.

A boundary from Shah on the penultimate delivery left a single needed before Afridi lost his radar and gifted the match to Hobart.

Earlier, the hosts made a poor start with Mark Cosgrove dismissed for two when he edged a Dirk Nannes delivery onto his own stumps.

That brought Travis Birt (25) to the crease with all in attendance hoping the in-form left-hander could make a significant addition to his 309 runs in the first six BBL matches.

Birt made an immediate impact with some big hits and when Wells smashed Andrew McDonald down the ground for his third boundary in the Renegades captain's first over, the Hurricanes were ahead of par and seemingly in control of the contest having taken 31 runs in two overs.

But Afridi managed to put a wobble in the run chase by trapping Birt in front as the batsman swung hard, looking for another swept six over midwicket, reducing the home team to 2-83 after 10 overs.

Wells was joined by Shah and the two played the ball into gaps as they looked to consolidate after the loss of Birt.

They kept the run-rate ticking to set up the thrilling finish to the match.

Earlier, a century stand from opening batsmen Aaron Finch and Brad Hodge has helped the Melbourne Renegades post an imposing 4-173.

Finch (67) and Hodge (63) added 126 for the first wicket, smashing some loose bowling from the Hobart attack to put their side in the box seat, but the total was not as big as it looked like being after 13 overs when the Renegades were 0-125 and cruising.

Jason Krejza had the pick of the figures for Hobart with 3-39 from his four overs and the numbers could have been far better if not for three consecutive sixes Finch hit in the off-spinner's second over.

The Hurricanes will wait for the result of Wednesday night's match between the Sixers and Scorchers in Sydney to know whether they'll host their Big Semi Final on Saturday or Sunday evening.