The captaincy of the Australian cricket team is probably the most important and high-profile job in the country. Sure, the prime minister might think he’s top of the pile, but in reality he defers to the captain of the national side (even more so with our current PM). It is no coincidence that the last three captains have been named Aussie of the Year, a fact that underscores their importance to Aussie society. No doubt Ricky Ponting will eventually take his place on that list, particularly if he brings the Ashes home after this series (if he fails, there will undoubtedly be a public lynching).

No-one doubts Ponting’s ability with the bat. He is creative, stylish, emphatic and dominant. He will take bowlers apart and can single-handedly set up a game for victory - but the job is way bigger than that.

Ponting’s record as captain is exceptional, winning 22 of 30 Tests with only three losses. Admirable, indeed, but two of those three losses were in the most important contest in world cricket, the Ashes, and ultimately meant that they were lost back to England. There is something about the Australian psyche that elevates contests against England to a level well beyond any logical limit. It’s easy to understand, it’s all about shaking off our colonial history and proving our independence. It causes us to anoint hero status upon those who defeat the old enemy, but we also reserve our harshest criticism for those who fail. Ricky failed.

There were questions about Ponting’s captaincy before the last Ashes series, but he’d led the side to another World Cup victory and he was given the benefit of the doubt; he was young and he’d probably grow into the job, or so we thought. Ponting’s flattering record, compared with the revered Steve Waugh (winning 41 of 57 Tests with nine losses) and Mark Taylor (winning 26 of 50 Tests with 13 losses), suggests that he’s got everything under control. But everything is not as it seems.

Ponting has had the good fortune to inherit a team that was a product of the development of those other two gentlemen (yes, Aussies can be gentlemen) and a training and development system that is the envy of the cricketing world (and has been copied by most of it). In other words, he inherited the most dominant force in world cricket since the great West Indies sides of the 1970s. That he lost the Ashes with this side was a combination of a bit of bad luck and a lot of bad management.

Had Ponting not had Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist during the last Ashes series, things could have been much worse. They pushed, prodded and cajoled him into tactical decisions so often, it seemed that the media questioned who was really captaining the side. Perhaps this is Ponting's biggest problem, the fact that he doesn’t take as decisive control as did his predecessor, Waugh, or doesn’t display the tactical genius of Taylor. These were incredibly big shoes to fill and the comparison does him no favours.

Ponting will allow himself to be overruled by senior players, as was evidenced by the over-use of Glenn McGrath in the last Test. He also lacks the ability to lift players who are underperforming. His treatment of Jason Gillespie in the last Ashes series was disgraceful, under-utilising him and contributing greatly to his loss of confidence. Compare that treatment to Andrew Flintoff working with Steve Harmison to build his confidence.

The real test of Ponting as skipper will show up in a couple of years' time when Warne and McGrath hang up their boots. Anyone could lead this side to victory, whether Ponting can do it with an average side will be the real test of his mettle.

Editor's note:
This article is part of a wider debate about Ricky Ponting's competency as Australian captain. Please also look at the related articles below:
"The Ashes - Ricky Ponting's form of slow torture"
and
"The Ashes - Ricky Ponting, Australian anti-hero"

And, of course, add your comments - or better still, send in an article!