World Cup exit not the end of an era for Australian cricket: Ricky Ponting

Ahemadabad, Mar 25 : Australian captain Ricky Ponting has reiterated that he would continue as an international cricketer despite his team's early exit from the World Cup.


Ponting made 104, his first international hundred in 13 months, but it failed to prevent his team’s loss to India in yesterday’s quarterfinal.

“I am not quitting one-day cricket, but this is probably my last World Cup game. I will be happy to look back after retirement that I made a century in my last innings in the World Cup,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Ponting, as saying.

The 36-year-old also insisted that it was “premature” to draw the shades down on Australia’s long era of cricketing dominance.

“Nothing’s changed. It’s a bit premature to say it was the end of an era for Australian cricket. I didn’t think we were far away from winning a game against a very good Indian team on their home soil. I think it’s a bit too early to say it’s the end of an era,” Ponting said. 

Ponting has played in five World Cup tournaments, including Australia’s loss to Sri Lanka in the 1996 final and the three titles which followed in 1999, 2003 and 2007, the last two under his captaincy.