Ricky Ponting Shaun Young. It also included five future Test batsmen: Matthew Hayden, Matthew Elliott, Martin Love, Justin Langer and Stuart Law. Despite not batting as well as he "would have liked", Ponting returned to Australia with the fourth highest batting average—48.73. Tasmania toured Zimbabwe for five games ahead of the 1995–96 Sheffield Shield. Ponting struggled, aggregating 99 runs at a modest 24.75. By the end of October, he had signed a contract with the Australian Cricket Board, along with 22 other Australian cricketers. He opened the batting with Boon in Tasmania's first match of the Sheffield Shield season, scoring 20 and
Ricky Ponting including two-half centuries and his 29th ODI century and first in Brisbane during the fourth match. Australia entered the 2010–11 Ashes series hoping to regain The Ashes from England on home soil as they had four years previously. The First Test in Brisbane was drawn after both sides posted large batting totals. Ponting was caught behind for 10 in the first innings and 51 not out in the second. A barren run followed in the subsequent three Tests, scoring 52 runs in total as Australia lost the series. Ponting became the first Australian captain to lose an Ashes series in