Ricky Ponting and Jason Gillespie are remembered as two key names in Australia’s golden cricket era of the 2000s.
Ponting, the batting giant who went on to win two World Cups as captain and Gillespie, the dependable fast bowler with more than 250 Test wickets, were teammates in a side that ruled world cricket.
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But long before they wore the Baggy Green together, an under-19 match in Melbourne gave birth to a funny yet dramatic story that still makes cricket fans smile today.
What happened during match between Ricky Ponting and Jason Gillespie?
The game was South Australia vs Tasmania in an under-19 tournament in Melbourne. At that time, Ponting was already seen as a future star, having played Shield cricket and being the standout batsman of his age group.
"I remember one u-19 game. South Australia vs Tasmania. We were playing a tournament in Melbourne and Punter had played a season or two of Shield cricket. So he was a big fish in the little pond of the under 19 comp," said Gillespie.
Gillespie, on the other hand, was a skinny medium pacer, bowling at around 110–115 kph, and admitted that getting Ponting out with normal bowling was almost impossible.
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"And he walked at number three for Tasmania and I am just a little dibbly dobbly medium pacer for South Australia, tall and skinny. I was bowling maybe 110kph, 115 kph or so. I was slow. We knew there is no way we are going to get this bloke out. He is just the gun. He is on the verge of playing for Australia," he added.
So, Gillespie suggested a wild plan. He asked his captain to place all nine fielders on the off side, leaving a 9-0 field. Ponting looked at him in disbelief, mouthed a few words, and Gillespie fired something back.
"I just said to our captain, let's do something different. We are just going to try and smoke him out somehow. So I am at the top of my mark, I walk over and I have just told everyone to go on the off side. So we are going to have a nine zero field. Ponting looked at me, he mouthed some expletive. I told him to go to hell or something a bit stronger," he added.
Then came the delivery, bowled two feet outside off stump. Ponting managed to get some bat on it, only to see the ball land straight in the hands of gully. He was out, caught in the trap.
"So I proceeded to bowl two foot outside off stump and he just got a bit of bat on it and hit it straight to gully. Out," he added further.
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Ponting was suspended for a game after his reaction to his dismissal
Ponting’s dismissal was frustrating for him, especially because he knew he had fallen into such a silly plan.
In anger, he smashed the stumps before leaving the pitch. That act of frustration was against the spirit of the game, and he was handed a one-match suspension.
"And then he proceeded. He was so annoyed. Because he himself had fallen for the trap. He smacked his stumps down and was suspended for a game," Gillespie concluded.
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It wasn’t the only time in his career that Ponting’s temper was noticed. Even later in international cricket, there were instances of him being fined for dissent.
However, he eventually grew into one of cricket’s most disciplined and successful leaders, captaining Australia to two ODI World Cup titles.
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