Ricky Ponting’s Eerie Commentary Box 'Predictions' Prove Why He's Cricketing Masterclass

Ricky Ponting knows a thing or two about cricket. The former captain of Australia, who brought two ICC Cricket World Cups home and slammed 71 hundreds across international formats, knew only to attack and dominate, and he did with finesse. When he batted, Ponting imagined an A4 piece of paper on the pitch to decide whether he would attack the bowler or not. “I’d take my guard, I’d look down at the wicket and basically say, okay, if can land that ball inside that A4 piece of paper there, I know I can’t play a shot to that ball, ” he revealed during a 7Cricket interview.

“It’s a defensive shot or it’s a leave if he’s good enough to get it there. But I trained myself well enough that with this imaginary square or rectangle, if the bowler got just

on the short side of that, then I felt I could pull it.”

He added that keen-eyed fans would have noticed him performing this brief yet vital ritual that aided him with the bat and helped him accumulate those 27,483 runs.

“If you ever watch any highlights of me bat, you’ll see me look down and then I’ll look straight at the pitch, just up there, looking at the square. I’d always look at that and then I’d lock into the bowler,” he added.

Now 51 and blissfully enjoying his stint as a cricket commentator, educator, and the game’s towering mentor, the Punter continues to exhibit the incredible game-reading skills he has honed over decades of being attached to the beloved sport.

Here are a few examples of his exploits while narrating cricket from the commentary box:

Prithvi Shaw’s Dismissal

Ponting displayed the homework he had done on the touring Indian side in 2020 when he described the exact manner in which the opening batter Prithvi Shaw would be undone by Mitchell Starc.

Pointing out the weakness of Shaw’s game, Ponting, commentating for 7 Cricket, uttered the following:

“He is very comfortable playing the ball away from his body. He does get his head in line with the ball but he doesn’t commit his front foot to the line of the ball and quite often leaves a big gap between bat and pad and that’s where the Aussies will target.”

Shaw went for a push without much foot movement and an inside edge crashed onto the stumps, sending him back to the hut with a 2-ball duck. The Indian opener was subjected to merciless social media trolling.

"If he does have a chink in his armour it's the ball which does come back into him…

"Quite often leaves a big gap between bat and pad and that's where the Aussies will target." @RickyPonting at his peerless best for the Prithvi Shaw wicket #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4nh67zBcpU

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 17, 2020

The incident took place during the first day of the First Test between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval during the 2020-2021 tour. Yes, the same horrid day & night Test where India were bundled out for 36 in an inning before taking charge and recording a historic 2-1 series win in Australia’s backyard.

Alex Carey’s Wicket

During the second Test at Gabba between Australia and West Indies in 2024, Ponting flaunted his big-brain energy from the commentary box when he noticed Alex Carey’s eyes “spinning”. Ponting was referring to Carey’s offensive and brisk innings of 65 runs in 48 deliveries when there came a moment when the former Aussie skip felt that the wicketkeeper-batter eying to attack every ball could be used against him.

As things would turn out, Carey was dismissed the very next ball, and Ponting was hailed as a “time traveller” by those who heard him on-air.

“It looks like [Carey’s] eyes are spinning a bit to me. He’s in overdrive at the moment, and wants to hit every ball. I agree with you Bish, just go a bit more defensive, make him play a big shot from a good length ball,” he said.

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Carey lost his wicket to Shamar Joseph on a pull shot.

Today, in Ricky Ponting commentary:

"It looks like (Carey's) eyes are spinning a bit to me. He's in overdrive at the moment, wants to hit every ball.

"I agree with you Bish, just go a bit more defensive, make him play a big shot from a good length ball."

Cue the video #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/lSdUJ2emCh

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 26, 2024

Carnage At The Perth

As many as nineteen wickets fell on the opening day of the first Ashes Test at Perth in November last year. England won the toss and decided to bat first. Mitchell Starc was the pick of the bowlers in the Aussie camp, registering a formidable 7-58, putting Ben Stokes’s touring team on the backfoot instantly. However, Australia, backed by a packed Perth crowd, suffered a collapse. England’s fast bowlers, spearheaded by Stokes with 5-23, fought back to reduce the hosts to 123-9 by stumps, trailing by 49 runs.

Day 2 saw the hosts ending their first inning outing at just 132.

Ponting, who was sat in the commentary box, asserted that batting on the tricky pitch would eventually ease as the day progressed.

Really do think Ricky Ponting is unmatched as an analytical commentator, not only for his cricket brain and the way he explains things, but also the enthusiasm and passion he brings. I could listen to him all day.

— Brydon Coverdale (@brydoncoverdale) November 21, 2025

Punter said, “The cracks have definitely opened up a lot from yesterday to today, which is really interesting,” before continuing, “It was 28 degrees yesterday and looking at it this morning, you can see the cracks but it actually looked like a really good surface for batting.

“We know the history of this venue. Last year, day 2 last year, Australia lost 37 for 3. India then went back in for the second half of the day and were 172/0 at stumps. Jaiswal 90 not out and KL Rahul 62, and we know what happened after that. Day 3, Virat Kohli made a hundred,” Ponting said before adding that the pitch towards the end of Day 2 would be “absolute best”.

England began Day 2 with a decent lead, but things escalated rather quickly, much to the dismay of the touring team. Stokes’s XI bowed down to an exciting bowling attack led by Scott Boland, who scalped four wickets for 33 runs while Starc and Brendan Doggett removed three English batters each.

England could muster only 164 in their second outing, but still had 205 score on the big board to defend. Ponting’s statement about the batting conditions eventually came true when explosive opener Travis Head decided to go all guns blazing. The left-hander demolished the English bowling attack, smacking a scintillating century off just 69 deliveries. Australia upset England with a dominating 8-wicket win, to kick off the Ashes with a 1-0 lead, which the home side won 4-1.