Upcoming leadership woes of the Baggy Green | Thebigtip

Those of any note in the cricket world have constantly reminded us during the last two years that the Australian Test side, so dominant for two decades, is in a stage of rebuilding. Whether they have come back to the pack or the pack has caught them up is worthy of another debate, the reality is, however, that there are now a number of teams around the same level as the Australians. The pundits further suggest it may take a while for this resurgence to gain momentum. One question that is not being asked, let alone answered, is who will lead them back to the top of the world? It has always been assumed that the ascension of Michael Clarke was inevitable, but are the selectors giving us signs this might not be the case?

To assess current test captain Ricky Ponting as the best batsman since Sir Donald Bradman is no exaggeration and perusing the annals methodically and without rose-coloured glasses only Greg Chappell and possibly Sid Barnes approach him. He averages in the mid 50's, is the second highest runs scorer in Test history and as greats do, he performs in the big matches. Like Bradman, Ponting's appetite for practice and to hit as many balls as possible before a game is legendary; his tour diaries suggest a player obsessed with perfection. With this single mindedness it is strange that his status as a great team player is just as legendary amongst the Australian cricketing elite, something Sir Donald could never obtain.

That is how Ricky Ponting will be remembered, somewhere near the top five that have ever strapped a pad on. A formidable reputation and presence, but is this clouding our judgment on his value to the team right now? Does he actually deserve his place in the side? A brief outline of his statistics would suggest a tentative "maybe". His last big year was in 2006 averaging close to 90, a phenominal effort but ever since it has been a downward trend: 38 in 2007, 47 in 2008, 39 in 2009 and before the current Pakistan series in England a tick over 50 this year. It can be strongly argued that if a school boy did not make a school boy error at Bellerive in January his golden duck (instead of the double century he scored) would bring his average to date in 2010 to around 28. These statistics are hardly ones for such a great player, and the debate is ongoing as to why. That is not the concern here, what is of huge concern however is the length of the decline. A lesser player would find themselves in trouble with these performances; certainly a case can be made that a younger player would produce similar results now and deliver more in the future.

What the selectors are effectively saying is that Ponting's worth to the team is much more than just his performances at the crease. This is understandable and full of precedent. His leadership skills count for a fair bit in a team that is in reality a bunch of followers. but there is a difference between off field leadership and on field tactical captaincy. He has forever been criticised for his negative tactics, including from his team mates and his reputation is that his thought process when a spinner is bowling lacks a fair bit of nous; he concedes far too many singles off the pace bowlers in favour of restricting boundaries; and he takes his slips out far too early. His overall captaincy record whilst long and full of highs has some amazing "in your face" lows. He has lost the Ashes not once but twice, an offence ripe for expulsion for most other captains. He has not won in India, lost to South Africa in Australia, and was the leader of "that" Sydney Test against India where the Australian side, wrongly or rightly, was criticised from pillar to post for their behaviour.  These performances are not of the proud cricket nation used to success after success.

What is not questioned is Ponting's off field leadership. When he talks, people listen. He leads by example at training and in preparation. He has had many recent team mates state that his pre-match speeches are inspiring. This is the Ricky Ponting that the selectors are putting their faith in. His leadership in this area enables him to be retained where someone of lesser character would be on the outer quite quickly. And all of this says a whole lot about the potential leaders below him. There are better batters than him in the side now, probably three, and there is no doubt that the replacement players in the future will be good - the domestic competition is too strong to produce a weak international side - but where are the leaders that can take the team from good to great? Let us not beat around the bush here, the next Australian captain has to follow Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting; it is doubtful if that breed of personality is around currently.