User:Aaroncrick/Ricky Ponting in the 2009–10 Australian cricket season

During the 2009–10 Australian cricket season, batsman Ricky Ponting represented Australia for up to six Tests and ten One Day Internationals.

First Test against the West Indies in Brisbane
Leading West Indian batsmen Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul returned for the opening Test of the 2009–10 Australian cricket season starting on 26 November in Brisbane, after the industrial dispute was resolved. Australia won the toss and elected to bat, as Ponting scored 55 from 79 balls, before being caught behind by wicket-keeper Dinesh Ramdin off Kemar Roach. The innings helped set up and Australian innings victory. Many sections of the media attacked the West Indies lack-luster performance. Former Australian captain Kim Hughes launched a stinging attack, saying the "West Indies don't deserve to play Test cricket". He continued his barrage saying, "They're an embarrassment to themselves, they've got a captain (Chris Gayle) who doesn't believe in Test cricket and his body language suggests he doesn't want to captain."

Second Test against the West Indies in Adelaide
Ponting produced scores of 35 (73 balls) and 20 (34 balls) in the following Test in Adelaide, as the touring side responded to their critics by securing a draw. For the first time since 2002, Ponting slid out of the top ten Test batting rankings, dropping to 12th, as Australia faced the prospect of falling to third in the team rankings if they were not able to achieve victory in the final Test of the series. Matters got worse for Ponting, as former Australian fast-bowler Rodney Hogg voiced that he should be sacked as captain and replaced with New South Wales leader Simon Katich. He said the team has become a "boys club" and was not preparing adequately for the future. "Ricky Ponting is in our all-time 10 greatest players and should obviously be in the side as a batsman and fieldsman, but he has no obvious feel for the game as a Test captain," Hogg said. "Don't judge him when he inherited a great Australian team. Judge him in the recent transitional period when, prior to the West Indies, we have lost three of our past five series. Do we just go along with him as Test captain until he says he doesn't want to play any more, possibly after he has gone to England in 2013 and lost a third Ashes series?" However, former Australian Test opening batsman Justin Langer labelled Hogg's comments as "rubbish", before saying: "He is quite inspirational as a leader and I just never get all the detractors he has. Whether it's in the fielding practice, the nets, the way he holds himself off the field — every time he speaks, these young guys just listen, they hang on every word he says. Even Katich appeared surprised by Hogg's comments, saying: "Ricky's obviously done a fantastic job and I'm just happy being back in the team."

Third Test against the West Indies in Perth
Australia announced an unchanged line-up for the Third Test in Perth starting on 16 December, despite WACA curator Cameron Sutherland expecting more pace and bounce in the pitch than previous seasons. Because of this, speculation mounted that Australia would replace Nathan Hauritz with another fast bowler. Despite Hauritz eventually retaining his place, Victorian fast-bowler Clint McKay replaced Peter Siddle whom tore a hamstring. Australia won the toss and elected to bat and opening batsmen, Katich and Watson, started strongly. After being dropped when on eight, Watson followed up his performance in the Adelaide Test with 89; partnering Katich for 132 runs. His dismissal brought Ponting to the crease, whom was immediately greeted with a barrage of short pitched bowling. After mis-timing a pull-shot from Roach on his first ball, Ponting was struck on the elbow from the following delivery. Despite battling through obvious discomfit, Ponting eventually retired hurt on 23 from 25 balls—the only time he had taken such action in his International career. Nevertheless, he did manage to hit two fours and a six from short deliveries in Roach's 12th over. The following morning, Ponting admitted he was "embarrassed" to retire hurt, before saying:

"I could have kept batting yesterday but I just wouldn't have been able to hit the ball off the square pretty much, so that was why I decided to come off. I've got some different strapping and tape on it designed to take a lot of the load away from certain areas around the elbow joints. [It hit me] on the outside of the elbow, right on the end of the bone, where a lot of the tendons and muscles actually join on. So I think that was why a lot of my muscles around my forearm went into a sort of spasm [...] and tightened up. It was okay for the first five or 10 minutes after it happened but it kept getting worse from there and it got to the stage where I couldn't function properly. I don't want to be batting when there's other guys out there who can play better than me at the time so that's why I decided to come off and get as much treatment as I could."

Australia made 7/520 declared—five runs away from the highest innings score without a century. After a morning net, Ponting decided not to bat, however, he fielded from the start of the West Indies innings.