Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting made 156 off 275 balls against England at Old Trafford in August 2005. Australia were chasing 423 and held on for a draw, which kept the Ashes level at 1-1.
Sources: Wisden: Test innings of the 2000s, No.3, Ponting's 156 · Cricket Australia: When captain Ponting defied England in epic rearguard
Was it a ton of consequence?
Yes: saved the match. Australia needed 423 to win after England made 444 and 280 for 6 declared. Ponting made 156 off 275 balls, and Australia finished on 371 for 9 with the last pair, Lee and McGrath, batting out the final overs. How a ToC is decided
Sources: Wisden: Test innings of the 2000s, No. 3 · Wikipedia: 2005 Ashes series · Cricket Country: Ponting's 156 secures a nail-biting draw
High confidence. Several match reports describe how the innings unfolded: the slump, the stands, the result and the series.
WatchThis innings
Video by England & Wales Cricket Board on YouTube. Watch it there.
How the score is builtscore · points
Your weighting
- Match Impact30%Did it decide the course of the game?
- Clutchness22%The weight of pressure in the moment
- Narrative18%The story surrounding the innings
- Conditions & Opposition14%What and who they were up against
- Historical Weight10%How time and experts have judged it
- Perceived Greatness6%The consensus of those who watched
How divisive is it?
Universally great, 2. Almost everyone agrees. This innings transcends the debate. Across five points of view it scores between 89.9 and 91.1.
More from Ricky Ponting
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Melbourne · 2003 · 365th overall68.6100* v South Africa
Cape Town · 2002 · 498th overall67.4242 v India
Adelaide · 2003 · 511th overall67.2221 v India
Adelaide · 2012 · 745th overall65.2206 v West Indies
Port of Spain · 2003 · 886th overall64.3