MELBOURNE, March 30 (PTI): A �life-changing� chapter of his cricket career over after stepping down as captain, Ricky Ponting says he will now focus on becoming a great teammate and a guy that new Australian skipper Michael Clarke can rely upon to give �something special.�
Ponting, who guided Australia to back-to-back World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007, quit as captain yesterday, five days after the team was knocked out of the ongoing edition of the mega-event in the quarter-final stage.
�Being captain of Australia has not only changed my life, it has also taught me the real significance of values, the true meaning of accountability, a deeper respect for mateship and an overwhelming feeling of national pride and responsibility,� Ponting wrote in the �The Australian�.
�It has also taught me to become a teacher, a trusted confidant and a better friend. You develop skills that you never thought you had, ensuring you provide your team with the best possible environment and direction to be successful,� he said.
Looking back at his tenure as captain Ponting said the happiest memories of rein were two World Cup titles and Ashes clean sweep of 2006-07.
�The most untouchable highlight is what I have shared with my teammates and the support group around us. Our record is a benchmark for success in any sport. The World Cup wins, the 2006-07 Ashes clean sweep, the back-to-back Champions Trophies, the extraordinary sequence of Test and World Cup wins all stand up in lights,� he said.
But Ponting said more than the on-field feats, the off-field relationships that he made with his teammates and the people he met would remain extremely special for him.
�...It�s the little one-percenters that any leader knows give you much deeper satisfaction than the final result. Many of these one-percenters for me have been achieved around the world in quiet corners of coffee shops, in hotel rooms or on quiet walks around cities that we are fortunate (or sometimes unfortunate) to travel to,� he said.
�These are private moments with teammates that are all about helping them overcome self-doubt, better prepare for tomorrow or to reinforce that they are on track to do something special,� he added.
On just being a batsman in the team now, Ponting said his focus would be �on is being the best player I can be, a great teammate, an experienced leader around the group and a guy that my new captain can rely upon to give him something special.�
Paes and Bhupathi in third round at Miami
Miami, March 30 (IANS): India�s Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi on Wednesday entered the men�s doubles third round at the Miami Masters tennis tournament, defeating Spanish pair Marc Lopez and David Marrero 7-6(5), 6-4, here. The third-seeded Indian pair will next meet the winners of the match between Belgian Savier Malisse and Briton John Murray and Frenchman Michael Lodra and Serb Nenad Zimonjic.
The third Indian in the doubles draw Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi will meet in the quarterfinals Austrian Oliver Marach and Janko Serb Tipsarevi, who knocked out top-seeded Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, 7-5, 6-4. Marach said it took four years for him to get the better of the Bryan brothers.The Austrian was at the losing end of the court six times against the Bryans.
Seventh-seeded Bopanna and Qureshi edged out Slovakian Michal Mertinak and his partner Belgian Dick Norman 7-6(4), 3-6, 10-8 in a second round dogfight on Tuesday.
