Luke Davies
Iconic Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne once branded one of Ricky Ponting’s decisions while captain of Australia as the “worst decision” by any skipper in Ashes history.
Both Warne and Ponting hardly need an introduction. The former is widely regarded as the greatest leg-spinner of all time, although some may argue Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan pips Warne to this accolade, having taken 1,347 international wickets compared to the Aussie’s 1,001 dismissals.
But the answer to the greatest of all time questions is certainly a debate, as Muralitharan played mostly on spin-favouring pitches in the sub-continent, while wickets in Australia are usually prepared for fast bowlers.
Nonetheless, having won seven of the eight Ashes series he played in, Warne was certainly a thorn in the side of England throughout his illustrious career.
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The Victorian, who died in March of 2022, formed part of one of cricket’s most formidable sides alongside fellow bowlers Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee while also sharing a dressing room with iconic batsmen Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, and long-time captain Ponting.
And despite ‘Punter’ guiding the Aussies to 48 test wins, the Tasmanian, who is the nation’s record run scorer in Tests, didn’t always get things right.
During the 2005 Ashes series, which England won 2-1 after five Tests, Ponting made a rather questionable decision at Edgbaston.
The then-Australia skipper put the hosts in to bat before Michael Vaughan’s side racked up 407 runs in one day at a rate of over five an over.
Marcus Trescothick hit 90 with Kevin Pietersen scoring 71, while Andrew ‘Freddie' Flintoff registered a score of 68 in just 62 balls.
In typical fashion, the away side made it difficult for England before the hosts secured an iconic victory, with Australia needing just two more runs.
Speaking about Ponting’s decision to bowl on a pitch made for batting several years later, Warne told Sky Sports: “This was a road, and the ball did nothing, so Punter’s decision to bowl first was just the worst decision ever by any captain.
“The other thing about why that toss was so bad was, what’s so ridiculous is you just look at the pitch, and the pitch was absolutely bone dry.
“I’d been playing a few years of county cricket and played at Edgbaston, and the ball at Edgbaston absolutely turned miles. If you posted a big score first innings, then it was going to be tough to bat last.”
Ponting himself has since defended his decision and claimed that the call was made after lengthy discussions with senior members of the squad.
When asked if he stands by the decision during an interview with Cricket Australia in 2020, Ponting replied: "Yeah, I do.
"It was one run, wasn't it? I'd love to find another run there somewhere through the course of that Test match!
"I stand by the reasoning behind it, but when you look at the overall result and what actually happened on the first day, it's probably hard to justify it.
"But it's not like I just turned up, had a look and said 'we're bowling'. We'd talked about it for a while, what we were going to do, and what we thought was the best way to win the game. And we got close.
"And people will make whatever [judgement] they want, and they can. That's a part of life and a part of history that people will talk about for a very long time."