Only the third batsman to amass 12,000 runs in one-day cricket, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting says he is chasing the benchmarks set by veteran Indian Sachin Tendulkar.
Ponting, after scoring a match-winning unbeaten 111 against England last night to take Australia to their second successive Champions Trophy final, paid tribute to Tendulkar, who is completing 20 years in international cricket this November.
“The number of innings of his I have been able to sit back and watch, I think he is an amazing player. Look at his stats and records and it’s quite incredible for someone to have stayed in the game for 20 years,” Ponting said.
“He has set benchmarks for guys like me to chase him and get as close as we can. If I had to last 20 years, I would probably be batting in a wheelchair,” he quipped.
Ponting is the first Australian and the third overall, after Tendulkar and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, to score 12,000 runs in one-dayers.
Tendulkar and Ponting, in fact, are the two biggest achievers in batting in contemporary cricket.
Tendulkar has played 159 Tests and scored 12773 runs with 42 centuries and 53 half centuries at an average of 54.58 runs. In one-dayers, he has turned out in 430 matches and scored 16903 runs with 44 hundreds and 91 fifties, averaging 44.48.
Ponting, on the other hand has played 136 Tests and scored 11345 runs with 38 centuries and 48 half centuries, averaging 55.88. In one-dayers, he has appeared in 323 matches, scored 12043 runs and hit 28 centuries and 70 fifties, averaging 43.32.
Both Tendulkar and Ponting no longer play Twenty20 internationals for their countries.
“It is a nice achievement but I had no idea before the game how many runs I had scored. I hit runs for my country and when my career is over I can reflect on the successes,” Ponting said.
