Ponting quits T20,wants to prolong Test career

“The last 10 or 12 days have been a lot about reflection,looking back to the Ashes and looking forward to my playing future,” said Ponting,Australia’s leading run-scorer in Test and one-day cricket. “As of today I’ve decided to retire from international Twenty20 cricket. The decision I’ve made is all to do with my longevity in the game.”

Ponting’s decision goes against a recent trend of older players to retire from test cricket to specialise in T20,the newest and shortest form of the game. It is expected he will remain contracted to Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Ponting said he’d discussed his decision with chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch,coach Tim Nielsen and vice-captain Michael Clarke.

“This decision provides me the opportunity to prolong my Australian Test and one-day career,an opportunity I am extremely determined about,” Ponting said. “I am hoping to continue playing Test cricket for as long as possible and retiring from the Twenty20 format gives me the best chance of doing this.”

Australia lost the Ashes 2-1 last month,slipping from No 1 to No 4 in the ICC rankings. There were calls from critics for Ponting to be fired after he became only the second Australia captain to lose two Test series in England.

But he almost immediately set his sights on returning to England for the 2013 Ashes series,as captain or just as a batsman,regardless of how the return series in Australia plays out in the 2010-11 season.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said he understood the reasons behind Ponting’s decision to quit Twenty20. “Needless to say he will be a huge loss to the Twenty20 side,but it does present opportunities for the other players and leaders within Australian cricket to gain further experience,” Sutherland said.

A decision regarding Ponting’s replacement as captain of the T20 side will be made later in the year.