"He owes me $5 million, he hit me on the elbow" - Ricky Ponting on battle with Kemar Roach
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting made witty remarks about his battle against West Indies pace bowler Kemar Roach during the former's playing days.
Ponting is regarded as one of the greatest batters in the globe across generations to play in traditional formats like Tests and ODIs.
He accumulated 13378 runs in 168 Tests at an average of 51.85, including 62 half-centuries and 41 centuries during his storied international career.
Ponting played 24 Test matches against the West Indies from 1996 to 2012, amassing 1977 runs at 53.43 with seven fifties and as many centuries.
Ponting encountered some feisty battles against Roach, the current bowling spearhead of West Indies with 252 scalps in red-ball cricket. The two have played six Tests against each other in the bilateral series of 2009 and 2012.
Ponting scored 100 runs in 158 deliveries off Roach's bowling, whereas the pace bowler got the better of the former Australian skipper five times in his career.
While taking a look back at his competition with Roach, the 47-year-old Ponting made a hilarious comment.
"He owes me $5million, he hit me on the elbow here in a Test match and then got a couple of really big IPL contracts on the back of it," Ponting was quoted as saying by 7Cricket.
AUS vs WI 1st Test: Australia hold a strong grip
West Indies started their two-match Test series in Australia on Wednesday (November 30) with the first Test at the Perth Stadium. Roach's new-ball partner Jayden Seales cleaned up Australia opener David Warner earlier in the day.
The Caribbean pacer bowled full and wide as Warner found a thick inside edge following the ball crashing into the stumps. Warner went for five runs after facing 16 balls.
Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne rebuilt the Australian innings after an early blow. The duo added 142 runs for the second wicket before Khawaja made his way back to the hut on 65 off Kyle Mayers.