title: John Marshall

text: After his appointment to the Supreme Court, Marshall began working on a biography of George Washington. He did so at the request of his close friend, Associate Justice Bushrod Washington, who had inherited the papers of his uncle. Marshall's "The Life of George Washington", the first biography about a U.S. president ever published, spanned five volumes and just under one thousand pages. The first two volumes, published in 1804, were poorly received and seen by many as an attack on the Democratic-Republican Party. Nonetheless, historians have often praised the accuracy and well-reasoned judgments of Marshall's biography, while noting his frequent paraphrases of published sources such as William Gordon's 1801 history of the Revolution and the British "Annual Register." After completing the revision to his biography of Washington, Marshall prepared an abridgment. In 1833 he wrote, "I have at length completed an abridgment of the Life of Washington for the use of schools. I have endeavored to compress it as much as possible. ... After striking out every thing which in my judgment could be properly excluded the volume will contain at least 400 pages." The Abridgment was not published until 1838, three years after Marshall died.


title: John Marshall

text: In 1828, Marshall presided over a convention to promote internal improvements in Virginia. The following year, Marshall was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1829–30, where he was again joined by fellow American statesman and loyal Virginians, James Madison and James Monroe, although all were quite old by that time (Madison was 78, Monroe 71, and Marshall 74). Although proposals to reduce the power of the Tidewater region's slave-owning aristocrats compared to growing western population proved controversial, Marshall mainly spoke to promote the necessity of an independent judiciary.


title: John Marshall

text: In 1831, the 76-year-old chief justice traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he underwent an operation to remove bladder stones. That December, his wife Polly died in Richmond. In early 1835, Marshall again traveled to Philadelphia for medical treatment, where he died on July 6, 1835, at the age of 79, having served as Chief Justice for over 34 years. The Liberty Bell was rung following his death—a widespread story claims that this was when the bell cracked, never to be rung again.


title: John Marshall

text: Unbeknownst to Marshall, his eldest son, Thomas, had died only a few days before, killed by the collapse of a chimney during a storm in Baltimore, through which he was passing on his way to his dying father's side.


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall's body was returned to Richmond and buried next to Polly's in Shockoe Hill Cemetery. The inscription on his tombstone, engraved exactly as he had wished, reads as follows:


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall was among the last remaining Founding Fathers (a group poetically called the "Last of the Romans"), the last surviving Cabinet member from the John Adams administration and the last Cabinet member to have served in the 18th century. In December 1835, President Andrew Jackson nominated Roger Taney to fill the vacancy for chief justice.


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall believed that slavery was an evil, opposed the Atlantic slave trade, and feared increasing Southern focus on slavery would fracture the Union, as ultimately occurred; however, he owned slaves for most of his life. In 1783, his father Thomas Marshall as a wedding present gave John Marshall his first slave, Robin Spurlock, who would remain Marshall's manservant as well as run Marshall's Richmond household and upon Marshall's death receive a now-seemingly cruel choice of accepting manumission on the condition of emigrating to another state or to Africa (at age 78 and leaving his still-enslaved daughter Agnes) or choosing his master/mistress from among Marshall's children.


title: John Marshall

text: Early in his career, during the 1790s, Marshall represented slaves "pro bono" in a few cases, often trying to win the freedom of mixed-race individuals. In possibly his most famous anti-slavery case, Marshall represented Robert Pleasants, who sought to carry out his father's will and emancipate about ninety slaves; Marshall won the case in the Virginia High Court of Chancery, in an opinion written by his teacher George Wythe, but that court's holding was later restricted by the Virginia High Court of Appeals. In 1796, Marshall also personally emancipated Peter, a black man he had purchased. Furthermore, Marshall in 1822 signed an emancipation certificate for Jasper Graham, manumitted by the will of John Graham.


title: John Marshall

text: After slave revolts early in the 19th century, Marshall expressed reservations about large-scale emancipation, in part because he feared that a large number of free blacks might rise up in revolution. Moreover, Virginia in 1806 passed a law requiring freed blacks to leave the state. Marshall instead favored sending free blacks to Africa. In 1817 Marshall joined the American Colonization Society (Associate Justice Bushrod Washington being its national President until his death and Clerk of the Supreme Court Elias Caldwell the organization's long-time secretary) to further that goal. Marshall purchased a life membership two years later, in 1823 founded the Richmond and Manchester Auxiliary (becoming that branch's president), and in 1834 pledged $5000 when the organization experienced financial problems.


title: John Marshall

text: In 1825, as Chief Justice, Marshall wrote an opinion in the case of the captured slave ship "Antelope", in which he acknowledged that slavery was against natural law, but upheld the continued enslavement of approximately one-third of the ship's cargo (although the remainder were to be sent to Liberia).


title: John Marshall

text: Recent biographer and editor of Marshall's papers, Charles F. Hobson, noted that multitudes of scholars dating back to Albert Beveridge and Irwin S. Rhodes understated the number of slaves Marshall owned by counting only his household slaves in Richmond, and often ignored even the slaves at "Chickahominy Farm" in Henrico County, which Marshall used as a retreat. Moreover, Marshall had received the family's Oak Hill thousand-acre plantation (farmed by enslaved labor) in Fauquier County from his father when Thomas Marshall moved to Kentucky, inherited it in 1802, and in 1819 entrusted its operation to his son Thomas Marshall.


title: John Marshall

text: Moreover, in the mid-1790s John Marshall arranged to buy a vast estate from Lord Fairfax's heir Denny Martin, which led to years of litigation in Virginia and federal courts, some by his brother James Marshall, and Marshall even traveled to Europe to secure financing in 1796. Eventually, that led to the Supreme Court's decision in "Martin v. Hunter's Lessee" (1816), from which Chief Justice Marshall recused himself as an interested party (but which made him wealthy). In fact, Marshall arranged with his longtime friend and Associate Justice Bushrod Washington to edit and publish the late George Washington's papers in order to (re)finance that purchase. Marshall's large family came to own many slaves, even if as Hobson argues Marshall derived his non-judicial income not from farming but by selling often-uncultivated western lands. Research by historian Paul Finkelman revealed that Marshall may have owned hundreds of slaves, and engaged in the buying and selling of slaves throughout his life, although Hobson believes Finkelman overstated Marshall's involvement, confused purchases by relatives of the same name and noted the large gap between Marshall's documented slave purchases (in the 1780s and 1790s), and the 1830s (in which Marshall both drafted and modified his will and sold slaves to pay debts of his late son John Marshall Jr.). Finkelman has repeatedly suggested that Marshall's substantial slave holdings may have influenced him to render judicial decisions in favor of slave owners.


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall met Mary "Polly" Ambler, the youngest daughter of state treasurer Jaquelin Ambler, during the Revolutionary War, and soon began courting her. Marshall married Mary (1767–1831) on January 3, 1783, in the home of her cousin, John Ambler. They had 10 children; six of whom survived to adulthood. Between the births of son Jaquelin Ambler in 1787 and daughter Mary in 1795, Polly Marshall suffered two miscarriages and lost two infants, which affected her health during the rest of her life. The Marshalls had six children who survived until adulthood: Thomas (who would eventually serve in the Virginia House of Delegates), Jaquelin, Mary, James, and Edward.


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall loved his Richmond home, built in 1790, and spent as much time there as possible in quiet contentment. After his father's death in 1803, Marshall inherited the Oak Hill estate, where he and his family also spent time. For approximately three months each year, Marshall lived in Washington during the Court's annual term, boarding with Justice Story during his final years at the Ringgold-Carroll House. Marshall also left Virginia for several weeks each year to serve on the circuit court in Raleigh, North Carolina. From 1810 to 1813, he also maintained the D. S. Tavern property in Albemarle County, Virginia.


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall was not religious, and although his grandfather was a priest, never formally joined a church. He did not believe Jesus was a divine being, and in some of his opinions referred to a deist "Creator of all things." He was an active Freemason and served as Grand Master of Masons in Virginia in 1794–1795 of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Virginia.


title: John Marshall

text: While in Richmond, Marshall attended St. John's Church on Church Hill until 1814 when he led the movement to hire Robert Mills as architect of Monumental Church, which was near his home and rebuilt to commemorate 72 people who died in a theater fire. The Marshall family occupied Monumental Church's pew No. 23 and entertained the Marquis de Lafayette there during his visit to Richmond in 1824.


title: John Marshall

text: Other notable relatives of Marshall include first cousin U.S. Senator (Ky) Humphrey Marshall, Thomas Francis Marshall, Confederate Army colonel Charles Marshall, and first cousin, three times removed, General of the Army George C. Marshall.


title: John Marshall

text: The three chief justices that had preceded Marshall: John Jay, John Rutledge, and Oliver Ellsworth, had left little permanent mark beyond setting up the forms of office. The Supreme Court, like many state supreme courts, was a minor organ of government. In his 34-year tenure, Marshall gave it the energy, weight, and dignity of what many would say is a third co-equal branch of the U.S. government. With his associate justices, especially Joseph Story, William Johnson, and Bushrod Washington, Marshall's Court brought to life the constitutional standards of the new nation.


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall used Federalist approaches to build a strong federal government over the opposition of the Jeffersonian Republicans, who wanted stronger state governments. His influential rulings reshaped American government, making the Supreme Court the final arbiter of constitutional interpretation. The Marshall Court struck down an act of Congress in only one case ("Marbury v. Madison" in 1803) but that established the Court as a center of power that could overrule the Congress, the President, the states, and all lower courts if that is what a fair reading of the Constitution required. He also defended the legal rights of corporations by tying them to the individual rights of the stockholders, thereby ensuring that corporations have the same level of protection for their property as individuals had, and shielding corporations against intrusive state governments.


title: John Marshall

text: Many commentators have written concerning Marshall's contributions to the theory and practice of judicial review. Among his strongest followers in the European tradition has been Hans Kelsen for the inclusion of the principle of judicial review in the constitutions of both Czechoslovakia and Austria. In her 2011 book on Hans Kelsen, Sandrine Baume identified John Hart Ely as a significant defender of the "compatibility of judicial review with the very principles of democracy." Baume identified John Hart Ely alongside Dworkin as the foremost defenders of Marshall's principle in recent years, while the opposition to this principle of "compatibility" were identified as Bruce Ackerman and Jeremy Waldron. In contrast to Waldron and Ackerman, Ely and Dworkin were long-time advocates of the principle of defending the Constitution upon the lines of support they saw as strongly associated with enhanced versions of judicial review in the federal government.


title: John Marshall

text: The University of Virginia placed many volumes of Marshall's papers online as a searchable digital edition. The Library of Congress maintains the John Marshall papers which Senator Albert Beveridge used while compiling his biography of the chief justice a century ago. The Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary holds other John Marshall papers in its Special Collections.


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall's home in Richmond, Virginia, has been preserved by Preservation Virginia (formerly known as the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities). It is considered to be an important landmark and museum, essential to an understanding of the Chief Justice's life and work. Additionally, his birthplace in Fauquier County, Virginia has been preserved as the John Marshall Birthplace Park.


title: John Marshall

text: An engraved portrait of Marshall appears on U.S. paper money on the series 1890 and 1891 treasury notes. These rare notes are in great demand by note collectors today. Also, in 1914, an engraved portrait of Marshall was used as the central vignette on series 1914 $500 federal reserve notes. These notes are also quite scarce. (William McKinley replaced Marshall on the $500 bill in 1928.) Examples of both notes are available for viewing on the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco website. Marshall was also featured on a commemorative silver dollar in 2005. In 1955, the United States Postal Service released the 40¢ Liberty Issue postage stamp honoring him.


title: John Marshall

text: "Chief Justice John Marshall", a bronze statue of Marshall wearing his judicial robes, stands on the ground floor inside the U.S. Supreme Court building. Unveiled in 1884, and initially placed on the west plaza of the U.S. Capitol, it was sculpted by William Wetmore Story. His father, Joseph Story, had served on the Supreme Court with Marshall. Another casting of the statue is located at the north end of John Marshall Park in Washington D.C. (the sculpture "The Chess Players", commemorating Marshall's love for the game of chess, is located on the east side of the park), and a third is situated on the grounds of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.


title: John Marshall

text: Marshall, Michigan, was named in his honor five years before Marshall's death. It was the first of dozens of communities and counties named for him. Marshall County, Kentucky, Marshall County, Illinois, Marshall County, Indiana, Marshall County, Iowa, and Marshall County, West Virginia, are also named in his honor. Marshall College, named in honor of Chief Justice Marshall, officially opened in 1836. After a merger with Franklin College in 1853, the school was renamed as Franklin and Marshall College and relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Marshall University, Cleveland–Marshall College of Law, John Marshall Law School (Atlanta), and formerly, the John Marshall Law School (now the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law) are or were also named for Marshall.


title: John Marshall

text: On May 20, 2021, the former John Marshall Law School in Chicago announced its official change of name to University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, effective July 1. The university board of trustees acknowledged that "newly discovered research", uncovered by historian Paul Finkelman, had revealed that Marshall was a slave trader and owner who practised "pro-slavery jurisprudence", which was deemed inappropriate for the school's namesake.


title: Vanessa Marano

text: Vanessa Nicole Marano (born October 31, 1992) is an American actress. She has starred in television movies and had recurring roles in such series as "Without a Trace", "Gilmore Girls", "Ghost Whisperer", "Scoundrels", "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Young and the Restless". From 2011 to 2017, she starred as Bay Kennish on the Freeform television series "Switched at Birth".


title: Vanessa Marano

text: Marano began acting professionally at the age of seven. According to an interview with her sister, her mother did not want either of her children to have careers in show business, and took the girls to an agent that she believed was most likely to turn kids down, only to find that Vanessa was accepted. Her sister Laura, who was on the scene with her, also impressed the agency. Since then, she has worked for productions at the Stage Door Theater. Marano's first major roles on television have been as Jack Malone's older daughter in "Without a Trace" (she and real life sister Laura play sisters), Valerie's stepdaughter in "The Comeback" and as April Nardini in "Gilmore Girls". She also played Layne Abeley in "The Clique" based on the books by Lisi Harrison and Samantha Combs in "Dear Lemon Lima". Marano starred in an episode of "Ghost Whisperer" alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt. Marano played Eden on "The Young and the Restless" and Hope on "Scoundrels". From 2011 to 2017, she starred as Bay Kennish on the ABC Family TV show "Switched at Birth". In 2013, she starred in "Restless Virgins", which was inspired by a true story. 2019 saw her star alongside her sister Laura in "Saving Zoë".


title: Vanessa Marano

text: Marano was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Ellen, is the owner of the Agoura Children's Theatre. Her younger sister, Laura Marano, is also an actress. Marano speaks Italian, and her father is of Italian descent.


title: Cochineal

text: The cochineal ( , ; Dactylopius coccus) is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America through North America (Mexico and the Southwest United States), this insect lives on cacti in the genus "Opuntia", feeding on plant moisture and nutrients. The insects are found on the pads of prickly pear cacti, collected by brushing them off the plants, and dried.


title: Cochineal

text: The insect produces carminic acid that deters predation by other insects. Carminic acid, typically 17–24% of dried insects' weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs, then mixed with aluminium or calcium salts to make carmine dye, also known as cochineal. Today, carmine is primarily used as a colorant in food and in lipstick (E120 or Natural Red 4).


title: Cochineal

text: Carmine dye was used in the Americas for coloring fabrics and became an important export good in the 16th century during the colonial period. Production of cochineal is depicted in the "Codex Osuna" (1565).


title: Cochineal

text: After synthetic pigments and dyes such as alizarin were invented in the late 19th century, use of natural-dye products gradually diminished. Fears over the safety of artificial food additives renewed the popularity of cochineal dyes, and the increased demand has made cultivation of the insect profitable again, with Peru being the largest producer, followed by Mexico, Chile, Argentina and the Canary Islands.


title: Cochineal

text: Other species in the genus "Dactylopius" can be used to produce "cochineal extract", and are extremely difficult to distinguish from "D. coccus", even for expert taxonomists; that scientific term from the binary nomenclature, and also the vernacular "cochineal insect", may be used (whether intentionally or casually, and whether or not with misleading effect) to refer to other biological species.


title: Cochineal

text: The word cochineal is derived from the French ""cochenille"", derived from Spanish ""cochinilla"", in turn derived from Latin ""coccinus"" meaning "scarlet-colored", or from the Latin ""coccum"", meaning "berry yielding scarlet dye". A related word "kermes" refers to the source of a weaker red Mediterranean dye also called crimson, which was used in Europe to color cloth red before cochineal was imported from the New World to Spain in the 1520s. Some sources identify the Spanish source word for cochineal as "cochinilla" "wood louse" (a diminutive form of Spanish "cochino", cognate with French "cochon", meaning "pig").


title: Cochineal

text: Cochineal insects are soft-bodied, flat, oval-shaped scale insects. The females, wingless and about long, cluster on cactus pads. They penetrate the cactus with their beak-like mouthparts and feed on its juices, remaining immobile unless alarmed. After mating, the fertilised female increases in size and gives birth to tiny nymphs. The nymphs secrete a waxy white substance over their bodies for protection from water loss and excessive sun. This substance makes the cochineal insect appear white or grey from the outside, though the body of the insect and its nymphs produces the red pigment, which makes the insides of the insect look dark purple. Adult males can be distinguished from females in that males have wings, and are much smaller.


title: Cochineal

text: The cochineal disperses in the first nymph stage, called the "crawler" stage. The juveniles move to a feeding spot and produce long wax filaments. Later, they move to the edge of the cactus pad, where the wind catches the wax filaments and carries the insects to a new host. These individuals establish feeding sites on the new host and produce a new generation of cochineals. Male nymphs feed on the cactus until they reach sexual maturity. At this time, they can no longer feed at all and live only long enough to fertilise the eggs. They are, therefore, seldom observed. In addition, females typically outnumber males due to environmental factors.


title: Cochineal

text: "Dactylopius coccus" is native to tropical and subtropical South America and North America in Mexico, where their host cacti grow natively. They have been widely introduced to many regions where their host cacti also grow. About 200 species of "Opuntia" cacti are known, and while it is possible to cultivate cochineal on almost all of them, the most common is "Opuntia ficus-indica". "D. coccus" has only been noted on "Opuntia" species, including "O. amyclaea", "O. atropes", "O. cantabrigiensis", "O. brasilienis", "O. ficus-indica", "O. fuliginosa", "O. jaliscana", "O. leucotricha", "O. lindheimeri", "O. microdasys", "O. megacantha", "O. pilifera", "O. robusta", "O. sarca", "O. schikendantzii", "O. stricta", "O. streptacantha", and "O. tomentosa". Feeding cochineals can damage and kill the plant. Other cochineal species feed on many of the same "Opuntia", and the wide range of hosts reported for "D. coccus" likely is because of the difficulty in distinguishing it from other "Dactylopius" species.


title: Cochineal

text: Several natural enemies can reduce the population of the insects on hosts. Of all the predators, insects seem to be the most important group. Insects and their larvae such as pyralid moths (order Lepidoptera), which destroy the cactus, and predators such as lady bugs (Coleoptera), various Diptera (such as Syrphidae and Chamaemyiidae), lacewings (Neuroptera), and ants (Hymenoptera) have been identified, as well as numerous parasitic wasps. Many birds, human-commensal rodents (especially rats) and reptiles also prey on cochineal insects.


title: Cochineal

text: A nopal cactus farm for the production of cochineal is traditionally known as a "nopalry". The two methods of farming cochineal are traditional and controlled. Cochineals are farmed in the traditional method by planting infected cactus pads or infesting existing cacti with cochineals and harvesting the insects by hand. The controlled method uses small baskets called Zapotec nests placed on host cacti. The baskets contain clean, fertile females that leave the nests and settle on the cactus to await fertilization by the males. In both cases, the cochineals must be protected from predation, cold, and rain. The complete cycle lasts three months, during which time the cacti are kept at a constant temperature of 27 °C (81 °F). At the end of the cycle, the new cochineals are left to reproduce or are collected and dried for dye production.


title: Cochineal

text: To produce dye from cochineals, the insects are collected when they are around 90 days old. Harvesting the insects is labour-intensive, as they must be individually knocked, brushed, or picked from the cacti and placed into bags. The insects are gathered by small groups of collectors who sell them to local processors or exporters.


title: Cochineal

text: In regions dependent on cochineal production, pest control measures are taken seriously. For small-scale cultivation, manual methods of control have proved to be the safest and most effective. For large-scale cultivation, advanced pest control methods have to be developed, including alternative bioinsecticides or traps with pheromones.


title: Cochineal

text: "Opuntia" species, known commonly as prickly pears, were first brought to Australia in an attempt to start a cochineal dye industry in 1788. Captain Arthur Phillip collected a number of cochineal-infested plants from Brazil on his way to establish the first European settlement at Botany Bay, part of which is now Sydney, New South Wales. At that time, Spain and Portugal had a worldwide cochineal dye monopoly via their New World colonial sources, and the British desired a source under their own control, as the dye was important to their clothing and garment industries; it was used to color the British soldiers' red coats, for example. The attempt was a failure in two ways: the Brazilian cochineal insects soon died off, but the cactus thrived, eventually overrunning about of eastern Australia. The cacti were eventually brought under control in the 1920s by the deliberate introduction of a South American moth, "Cactoblastis cactorum", the larvae of which feed on the cactus.


title: Cochineal

text: The nopal pear has been traditionally eaten in parts of northern Ethiopia, where it is utilized more than cultivated. Carmine cochineal was introduced into northern Ethiopia early in the 2000s to be cultivated among farming communities. Foodsafe exported 2000 tons of dried carmine cochineal over 3 years.


title: Cochineal

text: A conflict of interest among communities led to closure of the cochineal business in Ethiopia, but the insect spread and became a pest. Cochineal infestation continued to expand after the cochineal business had ended. Control measures were unsuccessful and by 2014 about of cactus land had become infested with cochineal.


title: Cochineal

text: There has been a population of "Dactylopius" insects on prickly pear cactuses around Cuyler Manor in Uitenhage; cochineal was introduced to South Africa as a biocontrol for invasive cactus plants.


title: Cochineal

text: Cochineal dyes are one of three groups of red insect dyes, all of which are anthraquinone derivatives. The major color components in their respective chemical structures are carminic acid (in cochineal dyes), kermesic acid (in kermes dye) and laccaic acids (in lac dye).


title: Cochineal

text: Carminic acid is extracted from the female cochineal insects and is treated to produce carmine, which can yield shades of red such as crimson and scarlet. The dried body of the female insect is 14–26% carminic acid.


title: Cochineal

text: Workers collect the female cochineal insects from their host plants. The insects are processed by immersion in hot water or by exposure to sunlight, steam, or the heat of an oven. Each method produces a different color that results in the varied appearance of commercial cochineal. The insects must be dried to about 30% of their original body weight before they can be stored without decaying. It takes about 70,000 insects to make one pound of cochineal dye.


title: Cochineal

text: The two principal forms of cochineal dye are cochineal extract, a coloring made from the raw dried and pulverised bodies of insects, and carmine, a more purified coloring made from the cochineal. To prepare carmine, the powdered insect bodies are boiled in ammonia or a sodium carbonate solution, the insoluble matter is removed by filtering, and alum is added to the clear salt solution of carminic acid to precipitate the red aluminium salt. Purity of color is ensured by the absence of iron. Stannous chloride, citric acid, borax, or gelatin may be added to regulate the formation of the precipitate. For shades of purple, lime is added to the alum.


title: Cochineal

text: Traditionally, cochineal was used for coloring fabrics. Cochineal dye was used by the Aztec and Maya peoples of North and Central America as early as the second century BC. Inhabitants of Peru have been producing cochineal dyes for textiles since early in the Middle Horizon period (600–1000 CE). Cochineal dye was extensively used in the Pre-Columbian era, often for ceremonial textiles and those worn by rulers.


title: Cochineal

text: The dye bonds best with animal fibers rather than plant fibers and was most effective for dying wool from alpacas and other "Camelidae", rabbit fur, and feathers. It was also used on cottons and plant-based fabrics, to less effect. Some examples of early cloth have survived in extremely dry areas in Peru. In addition, the use of cochineal is literally illustrated in drawings on codices and maps. Production of cochineal dyes became well-developed under Nazca culture, and beautiful examples of woven cloth colored by cochineal remain from Moche and Wari culture.


title: Cochineal

text: Cochineal's importance is also indicated by its prominence in tribute lists such as the Matrícula de Tributos. Eleven cities conquered by Moctezuma II in the 15th century paid a yearly tribute of 2000 decorated cotton blankets and 40 bags of cochineal dye each.


title: Cochineal

text: Prior to the Spanish invasion, Aztecs also used cochineal pigments in their manuscripts. The 16th century "Florentine Codex" contains a variety of illustrations with multiple variations of the red pigments. Specifically in the case of "achiotl (light red)," technical analysis of the paint reveals multiple layers of the pigment although the layers of the pigment is not visible to the naked eye. Therefore, it proves that the process of applying multiple layers is more significant in comparison to the actual color itself. Furthermore, the process of layering the various hues of the same pigment on top of each other enabled the Aztec artists to create variations in the intensity of the subject matter. A bolder application of pigment draws the viewer's eye to the subject matter which commands attention and suggests a power of the viewer. A weaker application of pigment commands less attention and has less power. This would suggest that the Aztec associated the intensity of pigments with the idea of power and life.


title: Cochineal

text: To be useful as a pigment, a substance should be insoluble in the vehicle with which it is mixed, in contrast to a dye which is soluble. The activity of carmines can vary widely depending on their preparation and composition: they tend to be unstable and can vary in solubility depending on pH.


title: Cochineal

text: Recipes for artists' use of crimson appear in many early painting and alchemical handbooks throughout the Middle Ages. Red lake pigments were known to be particularly unstable as early as the 1400s. When cochineal lakes were introduced in Europe, artists soon found that they were not light-fast. The paint turns brown and fades in sunlight, although it is somewhat more permanent if mixed with oil rather than water color. As a result, carmine's use as a pigment was discouraged: its primary use was as a dye rather than in paints.


title: Cochineal

text: In Europe, there was no comparable red dye or pigment. The closest color was "Kermes" (technically, crimson), one of the oldest organic pigments. Its key ingredient, kermesic acid, was also extracted from an insect, "Kermes vermilio", which lives on "Quercus coccifera" oaks native to the Near East, and the European side of the Mediterranean Basin. Kermes was used as a dye and a laked pigment in ancient Egypt, Greece, Armenia and the Near East.


title: Cochineal

text: The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century introduced new colors to peoples on both sides of the Atlantic. The Spanish were quick to exploit the vibrant, intense color of cochineal for new trade opportunities. Carmine attained great status and value in Europe.


title: Cochineal

text: During the colonial period, with the introduction of sheep to Latin America, the use of cochineal increased. It provided the most intense color and it set more firmly on woolen garments compared to clothes made of materials of pre-Hispanic origin such as cotton or agave and yucca fibers. In general, cochineal is more successful on protein-based animal fibres (including silk) than plant-based material.


title: Cochineal

text: Once the European market discovered the qualities of this product ("grana fina"), the demand for it increased dramatically.


title: Cochineal

text: The dyestuff was used throughout Europe and was so highly prized, its price was regularly quoted on the London and Amsterdam Commodity Exchanges (with the latter one beginning to record it in 1589). By the 17th century cochineal was a commodity traded as far away as India.


title: Cochineal

text: The production and the use of luxury colors and textiles were regulated in countries such as Spain and Italy.


title: Cochineal

text: Dyestuffs produced from the cochineal insect were used for dyeing the clothes of kings, nobles, and the clergy.


title: Cochineal

text: In 1454, Pope Paul II officially changed the color of the robes worn by Catholic cardinals from "Cardinal's purple" to vibrant red. By 1558, their red robes would have been created with American cochineal.


title: Cochineal

text: Carmine became strong competition for other colorants such as madder root, kermes, Polish cochineal, Armenian cochineal, brazilwood, and Tyrian purple.


title: Cochineal

text: It became the most important insect dye used in the production of hand-woven oriental rugs, almost completely displacing lac. It was also used for handicrafts, and tapestries.


title: Cochineal

text: Spanish influence also changed the way in which Aztecs used pigments, particularly in their manuscripts. The use of cochineal in manuscripts was replaced by Spanish dyes like minium and alizarin crimson. The image of Moctezuma's death (seen to the right) uses both indigenous and Spanish pigments, and is therefore representative of the transition and influence between cultures.


title: Cochineal

text: During the colonial period in Latin America, many indigenous communities produced cochineal under a type of contract known as Repartimiento de Mercancías. This was a type of ”contract forwarding” agreement, in which a trader lent money to producers in advance, with a "call option" to buy the product once it was harvested. Communities with a history of cochineal production and export have been found to have lower poverty rates and higher female literacy, but also smaller indigenous populations.


title: Cochineal

text: In 1777, French botanist Nicolas-Joseph Thiéry de Menonville, presenting himself as a botanizing physician, smuggled the insects and pads of the "Opuntia" cactus to Saint Domingue. This particular collection failed to thrive and ultimately died out, leaving the Mexican monopoly intact.


title: Cochineal

text: After the Mexican War of Independence in 1810–1821, the Mexican monopoly on cochineal came to an end. Large-scale production of cochineal emerged, especially in Guatemala and the Canary Islands; it was also cultivated in Spain and North Africa.


title: Cochineal

text: The demand for cochineal fell sharply in the middle of the 19th century, with the appearance of artificial dyes such as alizarin crimson. This caused a significant financial shock in Spain as a major industry almost ceased to exist. The delicate manual labour required for the breeding of the insect could not compete with the modern methods of the new industry, and even less so with the lowering of production costs. The ""tuna" blood" dye (from the Mexican name for the "Opuntia" fruit) stopped being used and trade in cochineal almost totally disappeared in the course of the 20th century. For a time, the breeding of cochineal was done mainly for the purposes of maintaining the tradition rather than to satisfy any sort of demand.


title: Cochineal

text: However, the product has become commercially valuable again. One reason for the increasing interest in natural dyes is consumer concern over the possibility that some commercial synthetic red dyes and food colorings may be carcinogenic. Being natural is not a guarantee of safety, but studies show that cochineal is neither carcinogenic nor toxic. Cochineal does, however, have a slight potential to trigger an allergic reaction.


title: Cochineal

text: It is also used in histology as a preparatory stain for the examination of tissues and carbohydrates.


title: Cochineal

text: As of 2005, Peru produced 200 tons of cochineal dye per year and the Canary Islands produced 20 tons per year. Chile and Mexico also export cochineal.


title: Cochineal

text: France is believed to be the world's largest importer, and Japan and Italy also import the insect. Much of these imports are processed and re-exported to other developed economies. As of 2005, the market price of cochineal was between US$50 and 80 per kilogram, while synthetic raw food dyes are available at prices as low as $10–20 per kilogram.


title: Cochineal

text: Natural carmine dye used in food and cosmetics can render the product unacceptable to vegetarian or vegan consumers. Many Muslims consider carmine-containing food forbidden ("haraam") because the dye is extracted from insects and all insects except the locust are haram in Islam. Jews also avoid food containing this additive, though it is not "treif", and some authorities allow its use because the insect is dried and reduced to powder.


title: Cochineal

text: Cochineal is one of the few water-soluble colorants to resist degradation with time. It is one of the most light- and heat-stable and oxidation-resistant of all the natural organic colorants and is even more stable than many synthetic food colors. The water-soluble form is used in alcoholic drinks with calcium carmine; the insoluble form is used in a wide variety of products. Together with ammonium carmine, they can be found in meat, sausages, processed poultry products (meat products cannot be colored in the United States unless they are labeled as such), surimi, marinades, alcoholic drinks, bakery products and toppings, cookies, desserts, icings, pie fillings, jams, preserves, gelatin desserts, juice beverages, varieties of cheddar cheese and other dairy products, sauces, and sweets.


title: Cochineal

text: Carmine is considered safe enough for cosmetic use in the eye area. A significant proportion of the insoluble carmine pigment produced is used in the cosmetics industry for hair- and skin-care products, lipsticks, face powders, rouges, and blushes. A bright red dye and the stain carmine used in microbiology is often made from the carmine extract, too. The pharmaceutical industry uses cochineal to color pills and ointments.


title: Cochineal

text: Cochineal-colored wool and cotton continue to be important materials for Mexican folk art and crafts. Some towns in the Mexican state of Oaxaca continue to follow traditional practices of producing and using cochineal when making handmade textiles.


title: Cochineal

text: In Guatemala, Heifer International has partnered with local women who wished to reintroduce traditional artisanal practices of cochineal production and use.


title: Cochineal

text: Because it has a complicated structure involving multiple chemical groups, it is very difficult to create a synthetic molecule for cochineal. In 1991, carminic acid was first synthesized in the laboratory by organic chemists. In 2018, researchers genetically engineered the microbe "Aspergillus nidulans" to produce carminic acid.


title: Cochineal

text: In spite of the widespread use of carmine-based dyes in food and cosmetic products, a small number of people have been found to experience occupational asthma, food allergy and cosmetic allergies (such as allergic rhinitis and cheilitis), IgE-mediated respiratory hypersensitivity, and in rare cases anaphylactic shock. In 2009 the FDA ruled that labels of cosmetics and food that include cochineal extract must include that information on their labels (under the name "cochineal extract" or "carmine"). In 2006 the FDA stated it found no evidence of a "significant hazard" to the general population. In the EU authorities list carmine as additive E120 in the list of EU-approved food additives. An artificial, non-allergenic cochineal dye is labeled E124.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former cricketer. Ponting was captain of the Australian national team during its "golden era", between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and is the most successful captain in international cricket history, with 220 victories in 324 matches with a winning rate of 67.91%. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time and in December 2006 reached the highest rating achieved by a Test batsman for 50 years, although this was surpassed by Steve Smith in December 2017. He stands third in the list of cricketers by number of international centuries scored, behind Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Domestically, Ponting played for his home state of Tasmania as well as Tasmania's Hobart Hurricanes in Australia's domestic Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. He played as a specialist right-handed batsman, an excellent slip fielder, as well as a very occasional bowler. He led Australia to their second 5–0 Ashes win as well as victory at the 2003 and 2007 Cricket World Cups and was also a member of the 1999 World Cup winning team under Steve Waugh. He led Australia to consecutive ICC Champions Trophy victory in 2006 and 2009. Combative and at times a controversial captain, statistically he is one of the most successful Test captains of all time, with 48 victories in 77 Tests between 2004 and 31 December 2010. As a player, Ponting is the only cricketer in history to be involved in 100 Test victories and was involved in the most ODI victories as a player, with 262 wins, having played in over 160 Tests and 370 ODIs.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: A prolific batter, Ponting is Australia's leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket. He was named "Cricketer of the Decade 2000" was named in the country's best Ashes XI in a Cricket Australia poll in 2017 and in July 2018 he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. He is the current assistant coach of the Australian national men's cricket team, having been appointed to the role in February 2019.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting announced his retirement from Test cricket in November 2012, the day before playing in his final Test against South Africa; this was his 168th and last Test appearance, equalling the Australian record held by Steve Waugh. He retired with a Test batting average of 51.85, although he continued to play cricket around the world until 2013.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Born in Launceston, Tasmania, on 19 December 1974, Ricky Ponting is the eldest of Graeme and Lorraine Ponting's four children. Graeme was "a good club cricketer" and played Australian rules football, while Lorraine was a state vigoro champion. His uncle Greg Campbell played Test cricket for Australia in 1989 and 1990. Ponting's parents first lived in Prospect south of city centre; however, they moved into the working-class area of Newnham, north of central Launceston.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: After marrying his long-time girlfriend, law student Rianna Cantor, in June 2002, Ponting credited her as the reason for his increased maturity. The couple have three children.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Introduced to cricket by father Graeme and uncle Greg Campbell, Ponting played for the Mowbray Under–13s team at the age of 11 in 1985–86. In January 1986, he took part in the five-day annual Northern Tasmania junior cricket competition. After scoring four centuries in a week, bat manufacturer Kookaburra gave Ponting a sponsorship contract while in just eighth grade mainly on the back of these four centuries. Ponting took this form into the Under-16s week-long competition less than a month later, scoring an even century on the final day. Ted Richardson, the former head of the Northern Tasmanian Schools Cricket Association said: "Ricky is certainly the equal of David Boon at this level.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Australian Rules football was also a big part of Ponting's sporting life, and is a keen follower of the North Melbourne Kangaroos. During the winter he played junior football for North Launceston and up until he was 14, it could have become a possible sporting option. This was before he broke the humerus in his right arm playing for North Launceston Under–17s as a 13-year-old. Ponting's arm was so badly damaged, it had to be pinned. Told to endure a 14-week lay-off, he never played competitive football again.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: During Tasmanian Sheffield Shield matches at the NTCA Ground (Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association Ground), Ponting helped out with the scoreboard, thereby surrounding himself with international cricketers. After leaving school at the end of year 10 in 1990, he began work as a groundsman at Scotch Oakburn College, a private school in Launceston. In 1991 the Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association sponsored Ponting to attend a fortnight's training at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide. The two weeks turned into a full two-year sponsorship as he was said to be the best 17-year-old batsman Academy coach Rod Marsh had ever seen.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Playing five games for Tasmania for the 1992 Under–19 carnival in Perth, Ponting scored 350 runs, earning him selection in the 13-man national Under–19 development squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa—the first Australian cricket team to make an official tour to the country since Bill Lawry's team in 1970.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting made his first-class debut for Tasmania in November 1992, when just 17 years and 337 days old, becoming the youngest Tasmanian to play in a Sheffield Shield match. However, he had to wait until 1995 before making his ODI debut, during a quadrangular tournament in New Zealand in a match against South Africa. His Test debut followed shortly after, when selected for the first Test of the 1995 home series against Sri Lanka in Perth, in which he scored 96. He lost his place in the national team several times in the period before early-1999, due to lack of form and discipline, before becoming One Day International captain in early-2002 and Test captain in early 2004.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: After scoring 114 not out in club match against Riverside, Ponting became the youngest player to appear for Tasmania in a Sheffield Shield match, breaking Boon's record by 14 days. In November 1992, with Ponting just 17 years and 337 days, he went to the crease at number four against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Despite scoring 56 in a 127-run partnership with Boon, he could not prevent a defeat, scoring just four in Tasmania's second innings. In his first match in Tasmania, this time against New South Wales, Ponting contributed 32 and 18 in a draw. He followed this up with 25 against Western Australia in a narrow loss. His first match in Sydney also marked the debut of future Australian opening bowler Glenn McGrath. His subsequent century also meant that Ponting became the youngest Tasmanian to score a first-class century at 18 years and 40 days, eclipsing Boon's record of 19 years and 356 days. After scoring another half century, Ponting scored back to back centuries against Western Australia on Australia's fastest wicket in Perth. He became the youngest batsmen in Shield history to score twin centuries in a match. After setting a goal of scoring 500 runs in the season, he ended up scoring 781 at 48.81. After season's end, Ponting played seven four-day games for the Australian Academy, scoring 484 runs at 96.70, even though he was still only 18.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Speculation ignited that Ponting was an outsider to join the Australian squad on their 1993 tour to England. Despite Ponting's reluctance to weigh into the debate, Tasmanian coach Greg Shipperd thought he could handle the experience. The selectors ended up choosing Western Australian batsman Damien Martyn for the tour, with Ponting selected in the academy squad captained by Justin Langer, which toured India and Sri Lanka for seven games in August–September 1993. Australian success was limited, with only several wins. No batsman scored a century, despite Ponting reaching 99 not out in a one-day game in Colombo. He finished the tour second highest in the aggregates, behind Langer.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Before the start of the 1993–94 Sheffield Shield season, Ponting stated that he wanted to score 1000 runs for the season. In Tasmania's final match of the season, they needed to defeat South Australia outright to qualify for the final. Set 366 in 102 overs, Ponting scored 161 in a 290-run partnership that ended with Tasmania needing just 41 runs for victory. Despite Tasmania losing four quick wickets, they won with four wickets in hand. Disappointingly for Ponting, he could not repeat the performance in the final against New South Wales, scoring just one and 28, as Tasmania were defeated by an innings and 61 runs. The season saw Ponting score 965 runs at 48.25, close to his 1000 run goal.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: A month after the final, he was again selected for the academy squad for three limited overs matches against a touring Indian team. Queenslander Stuart Law captained the Australian side that included former Australian keeper Rod Marsh. In Australia's victory in Canberra he top scored with 71 and before scoring 52 in victory in Sydney. The last match was also successful for the home team, with Ponting not required to bat.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting started his 1994–95 campaign with a century against eventual Shield champions Queensland in Brisbane, impressing Queensland captain Allan Border, "He's just an outstanding prospect", Border said.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Speculation again arose that Ponting could become a candidate for the upcoming tour to the West Indies. When Tasmania played Western Australia at Bellerive Oval on 4 November 1994, Ponting scored 211. The century was his fifth successive against Western Australia; Sir Donald Bradman is the only other batsman to score five consecutive centuries against another state in Shield history. Ten days after the double century, Ponting was named in the Australian XI to take on England at Bellerive Oval—in a match that was used as practice before the upcoming series in the West Indies. Future Australian representatives Matthew Hayden, Langer, Greg Blewett and Martyn were also selected. In a drawn match Ponting compiled a half-century.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: A fourth team was introduced to the World Series Cup in 1994–95—Australia A—for the only time. Australian captain Mark Taylor was not a fan of this change as many fans supported Australia A rather than the national team. Despite the negative feedback it gave Ponting a chance on the international stage. Playing for Australia A, he scored 161 runs at 26.83 with one half-century.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting's domestic performances were rewarded when he was selected for the Australian ODI team to play in all the matches in the 1995 New Zealand Centenary quadrangular tournament in New Zealand, that also included South Africa and India. Ponting made his debut against South Africa at number six in the batting order. He scored one from six balls, as Australia successfully chased South Africa's target on a difficult batting track. Australia secured another victory in their next match, this time against New Zealand in Auckland, where Ponting scored 10 not out, after coming to wicket late in the innings. His highest series score came in the third International where Australia lost to India in Dunedin. Ponting was promoted to number three in the batting order and responded by scoring 62 from 92 balls. The innings was scored without a boundary and was based on "deft placement and judicious running." The loss failed to stop Australia from appearing in the final against New Zealand in Auckland. Ponting returned to number six and was seven not out when the winning runs were scored. He finished the series with 80 runs at 40 and strike rate of 71.42 runs per hundred balls.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Greg Shipperd publicly suggested that Ponting could be selected as a reserve wicket-keeper for the upcoming West Indies tour, despite not keeping-wicket for Tasmania. However, he had kept wicket in pre-season matches and during centre wicket practice. In any case Ponting was selected as a specialist batsman. "... It was like all my birthdays had come at once. I had some reservations about making my Test debut against arguably the best fast bowling attack in the world", Ponting later said. The West Indies had been cricket's powerhouse for close to two decades and teams included many feared fast bowlers. Before the tour, Australian captain Mark Taylor thought the last Test batting vacancy was possibly between Ponting and Justin Langer. "Ricky Ponting is more the stroke player while Justin is the tough man. It depends on what we need at the time but you can probably say Ricky has his neck in front because he's been on this tour [of New Zealand]", Taylor said. Rod Marsh believed Ponting's attitude and fearless approach could tear the West Indies apart. Nevertheless, Ponting did not expect to be selected. Steve Waugh noted that Ponting would "not be intimidated by the West Indians' inevitable waist-to-chin length." During the series, Ponting said the current crop of bowlers were not "of the same high class" that opposition teams had come to expect from the West Indies.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting was selected for the third ODI on 12 March 1995 at Queen's Park Oval, when Mark Waugh missed out through injury. Ponting—batting at three—was involved in a 59-run partnership with Steve Waugh; however, he was dismissed for 43 when he lifted an attempted pull shot. Mark Waugh returned for the next match and Ponting was subsequently dropped until he replaced an out-of-form David Boon in the fifth and final match, where Ponting got a second-ball duck. In a three-day warm-up match ahead of the Tests, Ponting scored 19, with Greg Blewett scoring a century and Langer compiling a half-century. The performance was not enough for Ponting to force his way into the Test side; though, Australia did regain the Frank Worrell Trophy for the first time in 20 years, winning the series 2–1. When Ponting returned to Launceston in June 1995, Tasmania's TAB announced him as their part-time ambassador. He then undertook a tour to England with the Young Australians; a team that included fellow Tasmanian 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.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: 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 43. Ahead of the following match against Queensland in Hobart, Ponting set himself a goal of scoring a century in each innings; a feat he achieved in a high-scoring draw. His form continued against the touring Sri Lankans in a one-day game in Devonport, scoring 99. He scored another century against the same opposition in Launceston. During the match, the public address system at the NTCA Ground announced that Ponting was making his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Perth on 8 December. The following morning saw local newspaper "The Examiner" headline: "He's Ricky Ponting, he's ours ... and he's made it! Tassie's batting star will play in his first Test." Marsh continued his praise of Ponting, who replaced a dropped Blewett. "I have no doubt Ricky will be trying to get 100 in his first Test game. And I hope he does. You'd back him to. If Ricky carries with him the same attitude that he has seen him succeed at First-class cricket to the next level there is no reason why he will not continue to score."


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Sri Lanka batted first and scored 251, before Ponting—batting at number five due to Steve Waugh's absence through injury—arrived at the crease with Australia at a comfortable 3/422. He started nervously, edging his first ball past first slip for a boundary from off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. When Ponting reached 96, Chaminda Vaas hit Ponting high on his thigh and was given out leg before wicket. Many members of the crowd and media argued it was an incorrect decision due to excessive height. He combined with Stuart Law, also playing on debut, for a partnership of 121. This was only the ninth ever century partnership by debutants in Test cricket. "I've got mixed emotions about my knock at the moment. 96 is a good score but it would have been nice to get a 100", Ponting said after the innings. "Once I struck a few in the middle of the bat, and I spent some time in the middle I tried to relax and enjoy it, just savour the moment." Australia won the match by an innings. In the second Test in Melbourne on Boxing Day, he scored a "compact" 71 in his only innings, combining for a century stand with Steve Waugh. He also took the wicket of Asanka Gurusinha in Sri Lanka's first innings amidst four economical overs.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: However, Ponting's performance was overshadowed by Australian umpire Darrell Hair no-balling Muralitharan for throwing on seven occasions, increasing tensions between the two teams. Ponting's fellow Tasmanian Boon retired after the Third Test, and Ponting's performances were not as strong at number six in the batting order, managing six and 20. Australia won yet again, sweeping the series 3–0, and Ponting was in full praise of Boon. "I would have hated to be the first person to come through from Launceston and make it but he has proved it can be done", Ponting said a year before his Test debut. Ponting ended his debut Test series with 193 runs at 48.25.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Though Ponting's appearances for Tasmania continued to be limited, he was still able to top the 1995–96 season averages with 59.50. He played in all ten games of the World Series ODI Cup played between Australia, Sri Lanka and the West Indies after the Test series. Ponting started the series at number four but moved up a position midway through the season, after opener Michael Slater was dropped. He broke through for his maiden ODI century in his 12th match, scoring 123 from 138 balls against Sri Lanka at the MCG. However, the effort was not enough to prevent Sri Lanka from victory. Ponting ended his first home ODI tournament with 341 runs at 34.10, including one century and three fifties, as Australia ended as series champions.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: A Tamil Tiger bombing in Colombo coupled with death threats to some members of the team forced Australia to forfeit their scheduled 1996 Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Ponting batted in the number three position for the entire tournament, and scored six in Australia's opening match victory over Kenya. He continued to be inconsistent with scores of 12 and 33 against India and Zimbabwe, before becoming the youngest batsman to score a World Cup century, when he scored 102 runs from 112 balls against the West Indies in Jaipur. Ponting wore a cap instead of a helmet to show the West Indians that he did not fear them. The effort was not enough, as Australia lost by four wickets. Australia finished second in their group and faced New Zealand in the quarter-finals. He scored 41 followed by a 15-ball duck in a semi-final victory against the West Indies, as Australia staggered to 8/207. Australia appeared to be heading out of the tournament when the Caribbean team reached 2/165, but a sudden collapse saw Australia win by six runs in the last over. Ponting scored 45 from 73 balls in the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which Australia lost to Sri Lanka. Ponting ended his first World Cup campaign with 229 runs at 32.71.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: In August, Australia played in the Singer Cup in Sri Lanka, after a five-month break since the World Cup. Despite the political environment being more assured than during the World Cup, Australia still struggled to defeat the Sri Lankans, now full of confidence. Australia overpowered Zimbabwe, before going down the home side. They regrouped and defeated India; however, Sri Lanka defeated Australia, this time in the final. Ponting scored: 53, 46 not out, 0 and 17 for the series. With Boon's retirement, Ponting was elevated to the No. 3 position in the Test team, and his first assignment in his new role came in a one-off Test against India at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Foreshadowing his future Test struggles in India, Ponting made 13 and 14 in a seven-wicket defeat. His failed to regain his form in the following Titan Cup involving India, South Africa and Australia. After a "scratchy" game against South Africa, Ponting was rested for the next match against India. Nevertheless, he was recalled for the return match against South Africa, making 17. The series ending poorly for Ponting, being bowled for a duck, as India won the finals. The pair of ODI tournaments on the subcontinent yielded Ponting only 168 runs at 28.00 from seven matches.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting continued in the role for the series against the West Indies in 1996–97 in Australia. After two Test matches and three scores under 10, he was replaced by Justin Langer, despite scoring 88 in the First Test. He was out of the team for six months, and missed the remaining three Tests against the West Indies, the three Tests on the tour to South Africa, both series victories to Australia. Many "experts" thought the decision was unjustifiable. Former Australian coach, Bob Simpson, said: "I really feel that Ricky could have been persevered with. He's a fine young cricketer and he'll now have to prove that he's got the tenacity and temperament to go with it." Ponting's axing meant he had time to regain his form in the Sheffield Shield. Despite struggling at first, he scored twin centuries against South Australia in Hobart, and proceeded to score another ton against Queensland.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting was selected for the 1997 Ashes tour of England, but did not play in any of the three preceding ODIs. He was not selected for the first three Tests; England won the first, Australia the third, and the second was drawn. Ponting was given three one-dayers and First-class match against Glamorgan to try to push his case for a Test inclusion. He scored a century in the latter, but managed just five against Middlesex in the last match before the Fourth Test. Michael Bevan was eventually dropped for Ponting, due to poor form and troubles against the short ball. In his first Ashes Test, Ponting scored his first Test century (127, batting at No. 6). He played the last three Tests and ended the series with 241 runs at 48.20. At the time Australia had a policy of the selecting the same team for ODIs, so Ponting only played in three ODIs in early stages of the 1996–97 season in Australia, scoring 68 runs at 22.66 in December 1996 before being dropped.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting scored 119 runs at 39.66 in the three-Test home series against New Zealand in 1997–98, including a breezy 73 not out from 85 balls in the second innings of the First Test in Brisbane to help Australia set a winning target. He then made his first Test century on Australian soil, scoring 105 in the First Test against South Africa at the MCG. He added a fifty in the next match and ended the series with 248 runs at 49.60. Ponting has his most successful ODI season to date, scoring 462 runs at 57.75 in the annual tri-series, including a 100 against New Zealand and three fifties. The 100 was Ponting's third ODI century, but Australia had lost all three matches. He scored 76 in the third and deciding final against South Africa, which Australia won. In a brief four-match ODI tour of New Zealand at the end of the season, Ponting scored 76 runs at 25.33.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Just 10 days after their tour of New Zealand, Australia played in a first-class warm-up match in India, ahead of their three match Test series. Sachin Tendulkar struck a double century in the opening warm-up match as the Australian bowlers struggled to cope with the conditions. Ponting came into the Test series with first-class scores of 53, 37 and 155 behind him. Batting at five and seven in the batting order respectively, he scored 18 in the first innings and two in the second on a "dusty turning track" in the opening Test in Chennai. Despite conceding a 71 first innings lead, Tendulkar struck 155 in India's second innings, as India won by 169 runs. Australia suffered further humiliation in the second Test at Eden Gardens. India—whom amassed 5/633 in reply to Australia's 233—went onto win by an innings and 16 runs, as Ponting scored 60 and nine.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Several days after the match, Ponting was thrown out of Equinox night club in Kolkata. The Indian media reported that Ponting was misbehaving with several women in the nightclub. Ponting was fined $1000 by Australian team management for the incident, and later apologised to staff. Ponting later wrote:


title: Ricky Ponting

text: In the following Test in Bangalore, Australia won their first Test in India for 29 years, despite 177 not out from Tendulkar, which gave India a slender first innings lead. Ponting scored 16 his only innings as Australia won by eight wickets. He finished the series with 105 runs at 21.00 as the hosts took the Tests 2–1.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Despite a poor Test series, Ponting's form in ODIs remained strong. In consecutive tournaments in India and Sharjah following the Tests, Ponting scored 467 runs at 51.88. In addition to three fifties, Ponting scored 145 from 158 balls in the Pepsi Cup against Zimbabwe in Delhi, equalling Dean Jones' Australian record.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting also had his first confrontation with Harbhajan Singh, an Indian off spinner who went on to have much success against him. In the Coca-Cola Cup series ODI against India in April, he and Mark Waugh put on more than 80 runs in 12 overs before Harbhajan was introduced into the attack. In the spinners second over, Ponting took him for four then lofted him over mid-wicket for six next ball. The following delivery saw Ponting use his feet in an attempt to get to the pitch of the ball but missed the shot and was consequently stumped. After the dismissal the pair clashed verbally. Ponting wrote, "The Sharjah incident was the result of me being over-competitive but it had the potential to get quite nasty. I was really disappointed with the shot I played [to get dismissed] and when I looked up Harbahjan was right in my face giving me the finger [gesturing for Ponting to leave the ground with his index finger] and really mouthing off. Had he been a few more metres away from me I would have not reacted like I did or at the most I would have given him a bit of lip as I walked past. I just over-reacted to the provocation." Both players were consequently fined ($500) and reprimanded by the match referee, with Harbhajan also suspended for a single ODI as he was adjudged to have breached the ICC Cricket Code of Conduct.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: On the subsequent tour of Pakistan less than six months later, Ponting was dropped in favour of Darren Lehmann. The left-hander was perceived to be a better player of spin and a better prospect on the dry pitches of the Indian subcontinent than Ponting. In the first Test starting in October, Lehmann scored 98 in Rawalpindi, as Australia won their first Test in Pakistan in 39 years. Ponting's only Test outing was in a high-scoring second Test draw in Peshawar, when he scored 76 not out and 43 as Lehmann was injured. The match saw Mark Taylor equal Don Bradman's Australian record score of 334, when he declared Australia's innings overnight on 4/599, despite being not out. Ponting was replaced by Lehmann for the final Test.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: In between the Tests and the ODIs, Australia were knocked out of the 1998 Wills International Cup, starting in late October, when they were defeated by India in their opening match. In a knockout based tournament, Tendulkar scored 141 in India's total of 307; meanwhile, Ponting managed a 53 ball 41, in a 44 run defeat. In a tournament hosted in Bangladesh, South Africa were eventual victors, defeating the West Indies in the final. He played in all the following ODIs against Pakistan, which Australia won 3–0. In the final match, Ponting scored 124 not out from 129 balls, as Australia chased down 316 with six wickets to spare. He finished the series with 215 runs at 107.50.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: When the Australians returned for the home series against England, Ponting was "in the worst run-scoring groove in his first-class career." Nevertheless, he was recalled in place of Lehmann, despite the latter's form in Pakistan. This was explained on the basis of "horses for courses"; it was reasoned that Ponting would be more effective against England's pace-oriented bowling attack. However, Ponting struggled in the first three Tests, scoring 47 runs at 11.75, and Lehmann regained his spot for the last two matches. He had played 22 Tests by the end of 1998, with 1,209 runs at an average of 36.63. Ponting was a permanent fixture in the ODI team throughout this period, and scored 322 runs at 46.00 during the Carlton & United (CUB series) series of 1998–99. During the CUB series, Ponting was involved in a fight outside a pub in Kings Cross, New South Wales, and earned a three match suspension from the national team. He sustained a black eye in the fight. Forced to front a media conference with the black eye, Ponting admitted that he had a "problem with alcohol," and sought external help to attend to this problem. He also thought that his career was on "thin ice" and he had "overstepped" the mark, along with admitting that the episode may have ended his International captaincy aspirations.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Mark Taylor retired from international cricket on 2 February 1999, and was replaced by ODI captain Steve Waugh. Lehmann failed to make much impact in the final two Ashes Tests and was dropped for the 1998–99 tour of the West Indies, while Ponting was recalled. Ponting's ability against pace-bowling helped his push for inclusion, as the West Indies typically relied entirely on pacemen. However, he was unable to force his way into the side in the first two tests, with number three, Justin Langer, and number six, Greg Blewett, cementing their places in the side. Before the third Test, Blewett suffered a hand injury and Ponting was recalled into the side. On a pitch that became increasingly flat throughout the day, Ponting—who came to the crease with the score at 4–144—joined Steve Waugh in a 281 partnership. After Waugh survived one of Ambrose's "more threatening spells", he scored 199 and Ponting 104. He "batted with maturity and even temperament associated with the champions of the game", according to Waugh. Australia collapsed in their second innings to be bowled out for 146, with Ponting scoring 22. Left with a record run-chase in Barbados, the West Indies won by a single wicket, thanks to an unbeaten Brian Lara century. Australia had to win the Fourth and final Test in Antigua to retain the series, after going down 2–1. Ponting scored 21 and 21 not out in the match, as Australia won by 176 runs. The following seven-match ODI series was not a success for Ponting, scoring just 74 runs at 14.80 in five matches. The series was drawn at 3-all and included a tie.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Australia started their 1999 World Cup campaign in England with success against minnows Scotland, before defeats by Pakistan and New Zealand. Ponting scored, 33, 47 and 49 respectively. After the twin defeats, pundits doubted whether Australia could make the semi-finals let alone win the tournament. Australia then defeated Bangladesh with 30 overs to spare, as Ponting batted out of his usual number three spot for the only time in the tournament. In an attempt to increase the run-rate with pinch hitter Brendon Julian, Ponting scored an unbeaten 18 from 10 balls at number four. Ponting scored 20, 23 and 36 in the following matches against the West Indies, India and Zimbabwe. In the last match of the Super Six stage of the tournament, Australia were to play South Africa in a match they needed to win to make the semi-finals. South Africa batted first and scored 271, before Australia slumped to 3/48. Steve Waugh joined Ponting in the middle and scored 22 runs in ten overs. Both then agreed increase the scoring in a mid-pitch conversation. South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis could not bowl because of strained abdominal muscles and the batting pair attacked the replacement bowlers, scoring 82 from 10 overs. They were involved in a 126-run stand until Ponting fell for 69 scored in 110 balls, including five fours and two sixes. Waugh went on to make 120 off 110 deliveries helping Australia win with two balls to spare. The sides met again in their next match, this time in the semi-final at Edgbaston on 17 June 1999. Australia only managed 213, with Ponting contributing a solid 37 from 48 balls. In reply, South Africa started strongly, talking 45 from the first nine overs without the loss of a wicket. However, Shane Warne dismissed Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten before long and eventually took 4/29 from 10 overs. The last over started with the Africans needing nine runs with one wicket in hand. Lower-order hitter, Lance Klusener, proceeded to score eight runs in the next two balls. Drama followed, as Donald was run-out two balls later, resulting in a tie. Australia qualified for the final because they finished higher than their opposition on the Super Six table. They comfortably accounted for Pakistan in the final, winning by eight wickets, after they were set a target of 132. Ponting scored 24 in Australia's first World Cup win since 1987. He ended the tournament with 354 runs at 39.33.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Australia soon travelled to Sri Lanka for a three-Test series, which they lost 1–0. Ponting was one of Australia's few effective players during the tour and was Man-of-the-Series, ending with 253 runs at 84.33. In the First Test defeat at Kandy, Ponting scored 96 and 51, almost half of Australia's match total of 328 runs. They lost the match by six wickets, partly due to being unable to handle the spin of Muralitharan who took eight wickets. The Second Test was severely interrupted by rain and Ponting scored just one in his only innings. He scored 105 not out in the Third Test in Colombo, his only Test century in Sri Lanka. Despite having a perceived weakness against spin, Ponting played Muralitharan the best out of all the Australian batsmen. He scored 31 as Australia won their inaugural Test against Zimbabwe by nine wickets. In the following ODI series between the respective countries, Ponting scored 288 runs at 57.60 with two fifties.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting started the 1999–2000 season poorly, with ducks in his first three Test innings in the series against Pakistan, including a pair on his home ground Bellerive Oval. He ended the run in style, scoring 197 in the Third Test at the WACA. Australia won the series 3–0 and Ponting proceeded to score 125 in the First Test against India at the Adelaide Oval. He finished with an unbeaten 141 in the Third Test at the SCG, the culmination of another Australian whitewash. Ponting was the leading scorer for the series, compiling 375 runs at 125.00. He brought this form into the initial stages of the following 1999–2000 Carlton United ODI series, hitting 32 and 115, before three consecutive ducks. Ponting, however, ended the rut towards the back end of the series, stringing together 53, 43, 33, 50 and 78, as Australia won the tournament. Along with his impressive average of 40.4, Ponting's strike rate (87.06) was the highest of all recognised Australian batsmen. Perhaps more importantly, Ponting was selected as temporary vice-captain when Shane Warne was unavailable through injury, strengthening his claim for future higher honours. "It's now apparent to me that I'm one being viewed as a future Australia captain", Ponting acknowledged in his newspaper column. "I think it's fair to say unless I was being considered for a future leadership position in the team then someone with significantly more experience, like Mark [Waugh] would have been given the nod to be the team's vice-captain. Despite all his good fortune, Ponting slid into the boundary fence and seriously damaged his ankle during the second final against Pakistan, forcing him to miss the upcoming ODI series' in New Zealand and South Africa. The damaged ligaments required a two-hour operation, with doctors telling him how he would not be able to return to cricket until the next summer. He recovered quicker than expected and by May he returned to the golf course and was given approval to start cricket training. He returned to the international scene in August for a three-match ODI series against South Africa in Melbourne's indoor Docklands Stadium. He made only 60 runs, as the series was tied 1–1, with a tie.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ahead of the first Test of the 2000–01 season in November, Ponting found form while playing for Tasmania. He scored 233 against a strong Queensland bowling team that included Andy Bichel, Adam Dale and Ashley Noffke. The innings included 37 boundaries and four sixes, and was so dominant, the next highest score for the innings was 61. In the second and final first-class match Ponting played for Tasmania in the season, he scored a more sedate 187 against New South Wales in Hobart, assuring him a place in the Test side, despite Damien Martyn (who replaced Ponting in the side when injured) scoring two centuries for Western Australia. Ponting was overlooked the ODI vice-captaincy, with Gilchrist given the role; however, Ponting captained a Northern Territory XI against the West Indies in the lead-up to the upcoming series. Though not known for extravagant claims, Steve Waugh told a journalist that Ponting could easily be the best batsman in the world, and put him alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. When Jamie Cox was selected for Australia A, Ponting was selected as captain of Tasmania for a domestic one-dayer against Victoria in December. His men won by nine wickets, with Ponting scoring an unbeaten 64 from 69 balls. Australia white-washed the West Indies 5–0 in the Test series; Ponting scored a modest 242 runs at 40.33, with a high score of 92.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Injury aside (he missed a three-Test tour of New Zealand in early 2000 after hurting his ankle in a fielding mishap in an ODI Final at Sydney), his position was now secured. Australia toured India in between February and April for three Tests and five ODIs. Australia had not won a Test series in India since 1969. Australian captain Steve Waugh began calling this the "Final Frontier". Australia lost the series 2–1 after winning the first Test, and Ponting finished with just 17 runs at an average of 3.4. He was dismissed all five times by Harbhajan Singh. Ponting had a habit of instinctively rocking onto the front foot and thrusting his wrists at Harbhajan's deliveries and was frequently caught in the bat pad positions because of this.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Despite this recent run of poor scores, Ponting was promoted to the key No. 3 position in the Australian batting order at the expense of the dropped Justin Langer, while Damien Martyn took Ponting's former spot at No. 6, for the very next Test series, the 2001 Ashes tour of England. Ponting began the series poorly, scoring 11, 14, 4, 14 and 17—the first four dismissals all to Darren Gough. In the first innings of the fourth Test, Ponting stood his ground while on 0 after edging to slips and refused to go off the field without a TV replay. Replays revealed that the ball had been grassed and Ponting subsequently went on to score 144 and 72 in the second innings. He scored his 216 runs in only 226 balls. In doing so, he repeated his feat in 1997 of returning to form at Headingley. He ended the series with 338 runs at 42.25. Starting with that 2001 Ashes series he has batted No. 3 in all but four of his Test innings.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: The touring New Zealanders were not expected to provide much of a challenge to the in-form Australians during the three-match Test series starting in November. The opening Test in Brisbane, saw the tourists came within 11 runs of victory, before the Test was drawn; partly to do with inclement weather. Ponting scored five and a run-a-ball 32 not out in Australia's second innings, as they pushed for a declaration. After scoring 4, 0 and 0 in his previous Test outings at Bellerive Oval, Ponting broke through with a man-of-the-match performance of 157 not out in the Second Test, before further rain resulted in another draw. The result of the Third Test in Perth was no different, with Ponting scoring 31 and 26. Set a record 440 to win, Australia finished on 7/381 at stumps on the final day, despite half-centuries from Gilchrist and the Waugh twins. He ended the Test season 366 runs at 52.28.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Although the Test team had continued to perform well, sweeping South Africa 3–0 in the home series in 2001–02, the One-Day International (ODI) team suffered a slump, failing to qualify for the finals of the triangular tournament, leading to the dropping of Steve Waugh from the one-day team in February 2002. Ponting was elevated to the captaincy, ahead of then vice-captain Adam Gilchrist. The fortunes of the ODI team revived immediately, and Ponting's men won their first series during the tour of South Africa, defeating the team that had won the tournament which ended Waugh's reign.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Following his elevation to the ODI captaincy, Ponting played a prominent role in the Test tour of South Africa. He scored 100 not out to steer Australia to a four-wicket win in the Second Test in Cape Town, bringing up the winning runs with a six from the bowling of Paul Adams. He struck 89 in the Third Test and ended the series with 308 runs at 77.25 with a strike rate of 76.48. Australia entered the seven-match ODI series without both of the Waugh twins.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting was prominent in the 3–0 whitewash of Pakistan on neutral territory in late 2002. He struck 141 in the First Test in Colombo and 150 in the Third Test in Sharjah to end with 342 runs at 85.50.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: England toured for the 2002–03 Australian season, and Ponting struck 123 in the First Test in Brisbane. His form continued with 154 in the Second Test in Adelaide, meaning that he had scored four centuries in five Tests. Australia won the latter match by an innings and Ponting scored 68 in the Third Test in Perth as Australia took an unassailable 3–0 lead. He was unable to pass fifty in the final two Tests and ended the series with 417 runs at 52.12. Australia won the VB series held between and after the Tests. After the conclusion of the Third Test, Australia's 30-man squad for upcoming 2003 World Cup was announced. Steve Waugh was a somewhat surprising omission, despite being unable to force his way back into the ODI team since being dropped after team disappointment in the 2001–02 VB Series. Ponting scored a slow 18 from 30 deliveries in Australia's victory in the opening match of the 2002–03 VB series against England in Sydney. He proceeded to score 119 from 123 balls (nine fours and three sixes) in Australia's second match of the series—again against England, this time at the MCG—sharing an all wicket record Australian ODI partnership of 225 with Adam Gilchrist in the process. Despite a comfortable Australian victory, Warne dislocated his right shoulder while diving to stop a ball. The success continued through the 2002–03 ODI series in Australia. Winning the finals series against England 2–0.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Australia hit trouble on the personnel front in the lead up to the World Cup. Lehmann was handed a seven-match ban for racial abuse, the world's number 1 ranked ODI batsman Michael Bevan was injured, as was all rounder Shane Watson, who had to withdraw from the World Cup. At the time, another all-rounder, Andrew Symonds, had been performing poorly and had been heavily maligned by cricket analysts, but Ponting strongly advocated his inclusion. The selectors granted Ponting his wish, although the decision was considered highly controversial, especially with Waugh campaigning for his recall as an all-rounder.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: A few days before the tournament started, Australia were in further turmoil, when leading bowler Shane Warne was sent home after failing a drugs test, and a replacement could not be flown in until after the first match. With Bevan and Lehmann still sidelined, Australia went into their opening match with little choice over their line-up, and Symonds having to play. However, Symonds repaid Ponting's faith with an unbeaten 140 after Australia lost three quick wickets to be in early trouble. Australia beat Pakistan, and gained further momentum by defeating India by nine wickets in less than half their allotted overs in the next match. Symonds continued to put in a series of match-winning performances and continued to be strongly backed by Ponting from then on. Ponting himself performed solidly with 53 against Pakistan and 24 not out, hitting the winning runs to guide Australia home.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: He failed to perform in the rest of the group matches including just 2 against Namibia and 18 against England in a poor performance which Australia managed to win just. He began the Super Six stage with a massive 114 against Sri Lanka. This innings included 4 sixes and he was very aggressive. He failed in the rest of the Super Six stage and the semi-final against the same opposition (Sri Lanka). In the Final, they met India, who they had crushed in the group stage. Indian captain Sourav Ganguly controversially sent the Australians in to bat, citing cloud cover, but Ponting's batsmen attacked immediately and put the Indian bowlers under pressure. They went on to score 359–2, a record for a world cup final by over 100 runs. Ponting top-scored with a brilliant 140 not out from 121 balls. India's batsmen could not cope with the target, and were defeated by a record (for World Cup Final matches) 125 runs. "I have had some amazing times and some proud moments in my career, but the events at the Wanderers have topped the lot. Lifting the World Cup alongside 20 other proud Australians ... [It is] without doubt the best moment of my cricketing life." Ponting led his team to a dominant, undefeated, performance in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, winning all 11 of their matches.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting was announced as long-term vice-captain in place of Adam Gilchrist for Australia's away series in the Caribbean starting in April 2003. The first Test was not the first time Ponting had been vice-captain of the Australian Test team however, as he was thrust into the role against the West Indies in 2000 and England in 2001—because of injuries to Steve Waugh. Although Gilchrist had not done anything untoward, Ponting was elevated because Australian selectors wanted him to captain if Waugh was to be injured. This was Ponting's third tour to the Caribbean, and he was rested from the only warm-up match ahead of the Tests. Nevertheless, he continued his World Cup form in the First Test, scoring 117 and 42 not out on a slow and low pitch, as Australia won by nine wickets. Ponting scored his first double century (206) in the Second Test, as he and Darren Lehmann shared an Australian third-wicket partnership record of 315 against a weak bowling attack. Australia defeated the West Indies by 118 runs on the final day—retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy. The Tasmanian's rich vein of form continued in the Third Test, after being rested for a tour match against Barbados. He scored 113 before running himself out, as Australia batted first on a pitch at the Kensington Oval described as the slowest Waugh had played on. Waugh's men proceeded to take a 3–0 series, with a comfortable nine-wicket victory. Ponting missed the final Test, as Australia conceded the Test record run chase of 418; nevertheless, Ponting was still awarded the man-of-the-series award, after ending the series with 523 runs at 130.75.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting then scored 10 and 59 as Australia recorded comfortable innings victories in their inaugural series against Bangladesh, played in Darwin and Cairns in the tropical north of Australia in the winter of 2003. In the third and final match of the ODI series following the Tests, Ponting scored a composed century, as he and Michael Bevan put on a run-a-ball 127-run stand.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Australia's cricket summer started in October; a month earlier than usual because of their ODI series in India following their home series against Zimbabwe. Due to the season's early start, many of the Australian players were not match fit. McGrath missed the series with an ankle injury, while there were concerns about whether Australia should be playing Zimbabwe because of Robert Mugabe's regime. The first Test started on 9 October in Perth, as Australia started strongly batted first against a Zimbabwean bowling attack that lacked penetration on a flat WACA wicket. However, Ponting was dismissed leg before wicket for 37, while Hayden went on to break Brian Lara's world record Test score of 375. Australia won the Test by an innings and 175 runs on the final day. In the next Test at the SCG Australia fielded an inexperienced team due to injuries and won by nine wickets; sweeping the series 2–0. Ponting struck 169 and 53 not out, and passed 5,000 Test runs during his first innings century. The Australian number three ended the two-match series with 259 runs at 129.50. In the midst of the lack of public attention and poor crowds, Ponting wrote how he was unsure whether Bangladesh and Zimbabwe should be playing Test cricket.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Australia flew to India two-day after the conclusion of the Zimbabwean series to play in the TVS Cup against India and New Zealand. They opened their campaign on 26 October against India in Gwalior, but were defeated by 37 runs, as Ponting was dismissed for two. Australia played New Zealand in match three of series in Faridabad. An early 9 am start saw New Zealand bowled out for 97, despite Australia bowling 17 wides. Australia comfortably reached the target, losing only two wickets in the process; one of which was Ponting for 12, who felt that he was "in terrible form.". Before Australia's next game, Ponting was named the Wisden International Cricketer of the Year in an award ceremony in Mumbai. Two days later, the city saw Australia defeat India by 77 runs, helped by Ponting's 31. He continued his run without a large score, managing just 16 in the fifth match of the series against New Zealand; however, Australia won a hard-fought contest. He regained his form in a victory over New Zealand in match—scoring 52 in Guwahati. Ponting improved further against India in match eight in Bangalore. After Gilchrist scored his first ODI century against India, Ponting scored an unbeaten 108 from 103 balls, to help Australia win by 61 runs. Ponting hit seven sixes and one four, becoming the first batsman to end up with only one four in an ODI century. Ponting struggled to come to terms with the pitch early, reaching his 50 in 69 balls, before scoring his next 50 in 31 deliveries. After defeating New Zealand, India qualified for the final against Australia. Batting first in Kolkata, Australia managed 5/235, as Ponting scored 36. India were bowled out for 198, leaving Australia victors by 37 runs. He finished the series with 296 runs—the third highest run-scorer—at an average of 42.83.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: After making 54 and 50 in the rain-drawn First Test in Brisbane, Ponting scored double-centuries in back-to-back Tests against India, in the Second Test at Adelaide (242) and at Melbourne (257, his career high). He hit 31 not out in the second innings in Melbourne as Australia levelled the series 1–1 and scored 25 and 47 in the drawn Fourth Test in Sydney to end as the leading run-scorer for the series, with 706 runs at 100.85. Harbhajan had been sent home after the First Test with an injury to his spinning finger.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Having also scored 206 at Port-of-Spain earlier in the year, he became only the second player (Sir Donald Bradman the other) to hit three double-centuries in a calendar year. Ponting's 242 against India at Adelaide is also the highest ever Test score by a batsman whose team was subsequently defeated in the match.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: After Steve Waugh's retirement at the beginning of 2004 following the drawn home series against India, Ponting assumed the Test captaincy. Since 1997 the Australian team has not always had the same captain for Tests and for ODIs, with Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh being dropped from the ODI team whilst still the Test captain.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting started with a 3–0 clean sweep of the Test series in Sri Lanka. Ponting brought Symonds into the Test team on the back of strong ODI form, rather than first-class cricket, replacing Simon Katich, who had scored a century and unbeaten fifty in the last Test. However, this backfired and Symonds was dropped after two Tests. Nevertheless, it was a far cry from Australia's last two Test campaigns in Sri Lanka, which had resulted in a 1–0 and 0–1 results respectively. Individually though, Ponting struggled, especially in comparison to his efforts in 1999. He scored 198 runs at 33.00, his only effort beyond 30 being 92 in the first innings of the Third Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Australia hosted Sri Lanka for two Tests during the winter, in the tropical north. Ponting missed the victory in the First Test in Darwin due to a family bereavement, and scored 22 and 45 as the Second Test in Cairns was drawn.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Despite their success at World Cups, Australia continued their failure to win the ICC Champions Trophy. They were knocked out by hosts England in the semifinals in 2004.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: After missing most of the tour of India due to injury, Ponting returned for the Fourth Test. By this time, Australia had taken an unassailable 2–0 series lead, his deputy Gilchrist leading the tourists to their first Test series win in India since 1969–70. Leading spinner Shane Warne injured himself on the eve of the match, which was played on a very dry pitch at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Off spinner Nathan Hauritz and leg spinner Cameron White, who were not regular wicket-takers in domestic cricket, were surprise selections ahead of Stuart MacGill for the tour. The reasoning given by the selectors was that as they intended to play only one spinner—Warne—MacGill was unlikely to play so they would not lose anything by taking some young spinners instead, in order to gain experience. However, it was too late for MacGill to be flown in, and Hauritz played and took 5/103. Ponting made 11 and 12 and Australia lost a low-scoring match in less than two days' equivalent playing time. Ponting was very vocal in criticising the playing surface after the match.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Ponting oversaw a successful campaign in the 2004–05 Australian season. They won all five Tests, defeating New Zealand 2–0 and Pakistan 3–0. Ponting scored 145 runs at 72.50 against New Zealand in a winning start to his Test captaincy on home soil. For his performances in 2004, he was named as captain of both the World Test XI and ODI XI by ICC.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Up to this point, Ponting's prolific form with the bat in 2003 had tapered away following his ascension to the captaincy and he had not made a century in eight Tests, a long period by his standards. In the First Test against Pakistan in Perth, Ponting made 98 in the second innings. Australia went on to crush the visitors by over 400 runs. Ponting struck 62 not out in the second innings as Australia won by nine wickets in the Second Test in Melbourne, and then brought up his maiden century as captain, scoring 207 in the New Year's Test in Sydney, which ended in another convincing nine-wicket triumph. He ended the series with 403 runs at 100.75.


title: Ricky Ponting

text: Australia then won a three-Test tour against New Zealand away 2–0. Ponting ended the series in style, scoring 105 and 86 not out in the Third Test win in New Zealand. In his first Test series in the country, he scored 293 runs at 97.66.