Ponting compared the spell with the one England's Steve Harmison bowled during the famous 2005 Ashes series, in which he hit Australian openers Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer before leaving the former skipper with a bloodied cheek.
Joe Root was earmarked as a future England captain from the day he made his Test debut in 2012 and after scoring a bucket-load of runs he duly landed the job just over four years later.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 5:
Under-fire Alastair Cook has been given no assurances about his future as England's One-day International (ODI) captain but the stout opener is determined to lead the team in next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
England's transformation from 'startled rabbits' at this year's World Cup to record-breakers against New Zealand on Tuesday has left fans and pundits shaking their heads in disbelief.
India bowling coach Bharat Arun likens R Ashwin to fine wine
The Ashes series may be reduced to dead rubbers, but Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad proved their England careers remain very much alive on Wednesday as they helped Joe Root's team dominate Australia on day two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Sachin's Blasters suffered their third successive defeat against Warne's Warriors, going down by four wickets in a last-over thriller, to lose the Cricket All-Stars T20 Series 0-3 at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
England coach Peter Moores should be removed from his current position and put in charge of the "kids", according to former captain Michael Vaughan.
Rajneesh Gupta highlights all the important numbers for the England team from cricket World Cups.
A new city-based Twenty20 tournament for English cricket intended to rival the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Australia's Big Bash moved a step closer on Monday following a key presentation by the sport's governing body.
In an effort to popularize cricket in the US, several icons including master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and spin wizard Shane Warne will play T20 matches in the US in November.
England's Joe Root has moved to the top of the world Test batting rankings after scoring two centuries and two fifties in the first four Ashes Tests against Australia.
Virat Kohli appears able to produce miracles with his bat and the India captain masterminded yet another successful chase in Sunday's run-feast against England to enhance his reputation as the second innings king of one-day cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne met with ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson at the global body's headquarters in Dubai on Wednesday to discuss their ambitious Legends T20 cricket League, proposed to be held in the United States in August-September.
The ongoing India vs England series is turning out to be a battle within a battle with both Virat Kohli and Joe Root vying for the title of the best batsman in world cricket.
Bairstow, who is Rashid's team-mate in Yorkshire, refused to be drawn into the controversy but said the leg-spinner must be excited to have got the England call-up for the Test series starting on August 1 in Birmingham.
Former Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss has expressed his interest in the newly-created director of English cricket role for the ECB.
It was the greatest series in the history of the game but what has become of those Australian and English players a decade on?
Unfortunately, the day chosen for the match was the actual day of Diwali and cricket starved Houstonians were in a dilemma about staying home with family and friends or going to watch their back-in-action cricket heroes.
A 30-second spot during the final to be broadcast by Rupert Murdoch's Star Sports is expected to cost nearly 10 million rupees ($155,267), far higher than the 1 million rupees that advertisers pay on average for most Indian shows, said a person involved in buying ads.
Reaction to South African AB de Villiers smashing the fastest ever one-day century in 31 balls against the West Indies at The Wanderers on Sunday.
Cricketers from across the world reacted with surprise and lavished praise on Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the India captain on Tuesday decided to call it quits in the Test format.
'He is a legend. He will go down as one of our great cricketers. I have never seen an individual so sound. I have seen Sachin at times get angry. Not this man'
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was on Tuesday named captain and ambassador of Libra Legends in the upcoming Masters Champions League to be played in Dubai and Sharjah from January 28 to February 13. Ganguly will lead a team which will have South African iconic all-rounder Jacques Kallis, left-arm spinner Nicky Boje, English spinner Graeme Swann, Aussie speedster Shaun Tait, spinner Brad Hogg, Netherlands allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate among others.
The disgraced Australian duo of Steve Smith and David Warner is not just staring at an ouster from IPL but is also also facing the prospect of missing the India series later this year, as speculations over a length ban for ball tampering gained credence.
Reaction after Australia's Steve Smith, who has stepped down as captain, confessed on Saturday that the team's "leadership group" had hatched a plan to alter the condition of the ball during the third day of the third Test against South Africa.
From the English media to social networking websites, 'devastated' Kevin Pietersen found support from all quarters.
Alex Hales and Jonathan Bairstow led a fight back for England after debutant all-rounder Dasun Shanaka sparked a top-order collapse on the first day of the first Test against England at Headingley on Thursday. England, who were 70 for four soon after lunch, had moved on to 171 for five when rain prevented any play after tea and forced an early close to an intriguing opening day in the 75th Test staged at Headingley.
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has defended the nature of Jamtha track, saying it is poor "technique" of the batsmen and not any "demon" in the pitch that resulted in South Africa being bundled out for a paltry 79 during the third Test.
Under-fire captain Alastair Cook at last found his form but fell for 95 as he and century-maker Gary Ballance put England in control at the end of the first day of the third Test against India on Sunday.
After taking a first innings lead of 233 on Friday before conceding three quick wickets, England batted throughout the day to reach 333 for five at the close with Joe Root unbeaten on 178, his second Test hundred.
Clinical England beat India by 31 runs at Edgbaston on Sunday to take them back in the top-four in the points table, giving themselves a shot at the semis spot.
India's history-making cricket team was showered with gushing praise by former players with batting great Sunil Gavaskar slamming criticism that the triumph came against a weakened Australian team.
The BCCI also wrote a few words wishing luck to the former SA captain.
If records were kept for standing ovations received in a match Alastair Cook would top that list too after a fairytale day at the Oval in which he engraved his 291st and last Test innings with a sublime century. Arriving at the crease on 46 not out to thunderous applause from a 19,000 crowd on Monday morning, England's most-capped Test player, record run scorer and century-maker rolled back the years to score 147.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers on India's biggest Test triumphs, Virat's victories and Ashwin's achievements.
'Sachin and I will be tossing a coin in New York City... It will be part of history.'
Such was Brian Close's reputation for bravery that he received a call back to the national team at age 45, to face the fearsome West Indian attack.
The halcyon days of those thrilling 1980s and early 1990s teams, when Curtly Ambrose and his fellow pace demons inspired fear and batting blasters like Viv Richards looked so imperious on English tours, have never felt more like pre-history.
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