Australian Cricket star Ricky Ponting celebrated his 44th Birthday recently. The delights didn’t just stop there for the iconic batsman as he was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame this month. His honoring came during the 3rd test of India’s Tour of Australia at Melbourne Stadium. He was given a Lap of Honor – a circling of the field with fanfare. The crowd in the stadium paid their respects and showed adoration to the star who thanked them as he was taken through a car for his glorious ride. Along with Indian legend Rahul Dravid and England’s Claire Taylor, Ponting is one of the just three ace cricketers to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame this year.
During his induction ceremony he said “I feel deeply honored to be recognized by the ICC in this way. I loved every moment of my journey as a player and am so very proud of the team and personal achievements along the way. These would not have been possible without the help of so many people including my teammates, coaches and support staff.”
Ponting was the triumphant star of the Australian Squad that gave big trouble to their competitors. Hundreds of cricketers have played for Australia since the beginning but only 25 of them have made it to the Hall of Fame, and Ponting, a three time ICC World Champion is one of them. As a hard hitting member of the team, he won his first ICC World Cup in 1999. He became Australia’s captain and led the country to two championships in 2003 and 2007. On November 2012, he announced his retirement shocking the cricket fans around the world.