3 reasons why Ricky Ponting is the perfect coaching choice for Washington Freedom
Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise Washington Freedom announced on Wednesday that they have appointed Australian legend Ricky Ponting as their head coach on a two-year deal.
Ponting, who is also the head coach of the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, is likely to hold both positions simultaneously.
The Tasmanian is expected to take over from his compatriot Greg Shipperd at the Freedom. Shippard, who is also Ponting's longtime mentor, led the side to a third-place finish in the MLC's inaugural edition last year.
In this listicle, we bring to you three reasons why Ponting is the perfect choice for Freedom:
#1 Ponting is one of the greatest players ever
Ponting was one of the best players that the sport has seen and is a veritable legend of the game.
Ponting excelled in both the formats that were in vogue at his time, amassing over 13,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs.
He ended with 13,378 runs in Test cricket while in ODIs, he racked up 13,704 runs. Ponting knows the sport inside out by now and has gathered enough expertise to help those whom he coaches.
The 49-year-old has a lot of expertise that he can express and share with young players to groom them. Learning from as decorated a player as 'Punter' will help the players who work under him.
#2 He is one of the finest thinkers of the game
Apart from being one of the finest batters the game has seen, Ponting is also one of its greatest thinkers.
He led Australia to two ODI World Cup titles (2003 and 2007), cementing his spot amongst the legends of the sport. Ponting is an astute thinker of strategies and can devise game plans based on situations.
The Tasmanian is known to think quickly on his feet and devise solutions to problems that arise within the minute.
This makes Ponting the best choice for the Washington Freedom to appoint as head coach.
#3 Ponting has extensive coaching experience
Apart from the two reasons mentioned above, Ponting has also had extensive coaching experience since hanging up his boots.
He has worked as Australia's interim coach in the past, apart from putting in shifts as the head coaches of Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
He is still the head coach of the Capitals, and will most likely hold that role alongside that of Freedom in the MLC.
Having coached in so many teams in the past, Ponting has enough experience to impart his wisdom upon the players turning out for Freedom.