Matt @Matthew_Berry_ - Twitter Profile

In January 1999, a 24-year old Ricky Ponting held a press conference with a blackened eye. He told the media he had a drinking problem, and said the black eye was the result of a drunken brawl in a club. Most people saw a careless brat not valuing the opportunity to play for Australia. Few saw a young man who had the courage to face the media with a black eye and concede he had a problem. The young man would eventually take Australia to its greatest heights. There have been some formidable captains that have taken their test teams to great heights but haven't won an ICC tournament. There are captains that have been successful in limited overs cricket but don't quite have a great test record. Ponting is an exception. Four ICC trophies along with 48 test wins with an envious win percentage. The most impressive of the triumphs, in my opinion, was in 2009, where he won the ICC champions trophy after most of their great players had retired. He carried a relatively young side on his shoulders and was the man of the series. We are in December, well into the yearly Australian summer. I remember as a kid, I would invariably have a 5 o'clock alarm throughout these months to watch the magic of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and the likes. But the biggest motivation was to watch Ricky Ponting stride out to bat at number 3 with intent. He walked to the crease like a man in search of an adventure. He owned the pitch, and he made sure the opposition knew that with his swivelling pull shots off the front foot. I loved to watch him dominate bowling attacks around the world, including India. The style, the arrogance, the swag; the aura that Viv Richards carried before him, and Virat Kohli after. The world hated him, for the major part, and he did not give a damn about it. The tiny eyed man with a boyish grin conquered the world, and retired as the most successful cricketer the game has ever seen. The image of Ponting walking out to bat with his collar up is still one of the most badass images in the history of this beautiful sport. I remember being numb on the morning he announced his retirement. And to watch Michael Clarke break down at the presser added to it. The fact that I won't be able to watch him bat again took a while to sink in. Happy birthday Punter, it's been over a decade since you've retired. But I still miss my 5 o'clock alarm.