Ricky Ponting

As of August in 2006 Ponting had won 22 Tests from 30 games as captain but he was missing the title he really wanted - that of the Ashes.

Ponting became the first Aussie captain since 1987 to lose a series to England in 2005, in what is considered to be one of the best series ever.

Australia took the first match of the series at Lord's but Ponting’s frustration with how the series was progressing was typified by his outburst after being run out by substitute fielder Garry Pratt at Trent Bridge in the fourth Test.

He became the first man to score a century in each innings of his 100th Test match and is the only the second man (after Sunil Gavaskar) to score centuries in both innings of a Test match 3 times.

Ponting made his debut back in 1995 at the age of 20, and hit 96 before being harshly adjudged lbw in an innings victory over Sri Lanka.

He has accrued over 9,000 runs at over 58 and a strike rate approaching 60 runs per 100 balls but can be an uncertain starter, playing around a planted front leg.

He scored over 1,500 runs in 2005 and three times scored twin centuries in a match.

But it is for 2006 that the Australia captain is likely to be remembered. Yet another run-fest appeared for the number three batsman and he finally got his hands on the coveted Ashes urn by leading his team to a 5-0 whitewash over the old enemy.

Ponting lifted his second World Cup in 2007 as Australia triumphed in the West Indies, beating Sri Lanka in the final by 53 runs using the Duckworth/Lewis method.