Vote - Steve Waugh v Ricky Ponting: Who is the greater of the two?
Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting: These two Australians are considered to be among the greatest captains in cricketing history. Waugh is held in high standards for building a team of greats including Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Ponting himself. Ponting, on the other hand, took the team to even greater heights succeeding him.
Interestingly. both have a 16-match winning streak in Tests to show for their efforts (Waugh missed a match in that 16). While Ponting served his country as a specialist batsman, Waugh was an all-rounder until his back problems forced him to almost give up his bowling.
Statistical highlights (Tests)
| Steve Waugh | Ricky Ponting | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| International debut | At the age of 20 | At the age of 20 | Both of them entered international cricket at a young age and were successful. |
| Career span | 19 years | 17 years | Not much to differentiate here, as well; Waugh slightly edges Ponting |
| Matches | 168 | 168 | Both of them share the record for second most number of appearances in Test history. |
| Runs | 10927 | 13378 | Ponting betters his captain in terms of runs scored |
| Batting average | 51.06 | 51.85 | The batting average of these two great right-handers is only separated by a slender margin of 0.79 |
| Hundreds | 32 | 41 |
Ponting’s numbers are next only to Sachin Tendulkar’s(51) and Jacques Kallis (45). |
| Highest score | 200 v West Indies, 1995 | 257 v India, 2003 | Waugh Sr. has just one double ton to the Tasmanian’s six. |
| Matches as captain | 41 wins out of 57 (win% of 71.92) | 48 wins out of 77 (win% of 62.33) | Waugh holds the record for the highest win-percentage among captains to have lead in a minimum of 25 Tests. |
| Wickets | 92 | 5 | Waugh was a regular bowler for his side in his early days and performed the role of an all-rounder well |