Ponting gained a reputation as a cricket prodigy when he scored four centuries (a century is 100 runs in a single innings) for the Under-13s in a Tasmanian cricket week and two more when promoted to the Under-16 team. By age 20 he had made his Test (international match) debut and had been hailed by some as the new Don Bradman, who was considered by many the best cricketer of the 20th century.
A maiden Test century came at Leeds on the 1997 tour of England. Ponting was criticized for his inconsistent performances early in his career (caused, in part, by off-field personal troubles), but, after rededicating himself to the sport, he became a key factor in Australia's dominance in international cricket over the next decade.
In 2002 he was rewarded with the captaincy of Australia's one-day international side, and the next year he led the side to victory in the World Cup in South Africa, one of three World Cups won by Australia with Ponting on the squad (1999, 2007). When Test captain Steve Waugh retired in 2004, Ponting was his natural successor.
In 2005, Australia lost to England in the first Ashes series under Ponting's leadership. Ponting followed this with an impressive 2005–06 season wherein he scored 1,483 runs (an average of 78 per match), including seven centuries. In January 2006 he marked his 100th Test with innings of 120 and 143 not out against South Africa in Sydney. Later that year he was named the International Cricket Council Player of the Year and, for the third time, the ICC Test Player of the Year.
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