At the Close of Play

Favourite international players (#litres_trial_promo)

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How the Ponting Foundation makes a difference

The Ponting Foundation is dedicated to doing everything possible to help young Australians and their families beat cancer.

It provides funding for a wide range of essential services that comfort and nurture young Australians with cancer, while providing emotional support and financial assistance for their family.

Through alliances with some of Australia’s leading cancer charities and research groups, Ricky has used his profile to influence widespread community engagement to raise important incremental funds for specific charity programs, hospitals and ground-breaking research projects engaged in the fight against cancer in Australia’s children and youth.

The Foundation also funds programs that assist in the care and well-being of the wider family unit as they support their child through illness.

How you can help

Make a donation

Visit www.pontingfoundation.com.au and make an online donation. Donations of $2 or more are fully tax deductable for Australian residents.

Get Involved with the Biggest Game of Cricket

The Biggest Game of Cricket is the Ponting Foundation’s major annual fundraising activity. Harnessing the pride of Australia Day, BGOC is a community based event with thousands of games being played and events all around Australia. Visit www.biggestgameofcricket.com.au for all the details.

Corporate partners — building pride through great partnerships

The Ponting Foundation sincerely appreciates the generous support of its corporate partners and invites interested companies to join the corporate team.

Become a Ponting XI member

A key pillar for the long-term success of the Ponting Foundation has been the creation of the ‘Ponting XI’.

The substantial donations made by members of the Ponting XI have ensured the Foundation remains fully self-sufficient, allowing funds raised by other means to be distributed to the Foundation’s beneficiaries.

By joining this thoughtful and generous group of leading philanthropists, you will be partnering with the Foundation and importantly, the wider healthcare community, in helping young Australians and families beat cancer.

Please contact the Ponting Foundation at

info@pontingfoundation.com.au for more details.

With Prof Murray Norris and Prof Michelle Haber AM at the Ricky and Rianna Ponting Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Children’s Cancer Institute, at the University of NSW, Sydney.

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The issue of childhood cancer is something very dear to the hearts of Rianna and myself since a hospital visit we made together back in 2002. Phil Kearns, a good friend who was involved at the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) invited us to visit the Sydney Children’s Hospital to meet with some of the many children and their families in the oncology ward. Listening to each family’s story was one of the most emotional experiences of our lives. We were deeply saddened by the stories we heard but at the same time overwhelmed by the commitment of the families, doctors and nurses to help these children fight the biggest battle of their young lives. Following our visit, we sat outside the Children’s Hospital and with tears in our eyes made a commitment to one another to do everything possible to improve the lives of young Australians with cancer and their families. We worked as ambassadors of the CCIA helping to raise money to fund research into Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, the most common cancer in children.

It was through our work with the CCIA that we realised we were in a unique position to make a real difference. After very careful consideration, we decided to establish the Ponting Foundation with the aim of raising funds for the benefit of young Australians with cancer and their families. Since 2008, we have been steadily doing our best to give back to those most in need. We have partnered with a variety of incredible organisations, including the CCIA, Redkite, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the David Collins Leukaemia Foundation and the National Institute of Integrative Medicine, to spread our fundraising to the areas that we believe need the most focus. We visit hospitals regularly, spending time with the children and their families as well as meeting doctors, researchers and nurses, who always teach us something new about the issues of childhood cancer.

With my retirement from cricket, we intend to become even more active in our work, not only from a fundraising perspective but just as importantly, from an advocacy and awareness point of view. We need to do more for our children to protect their future. Cancer is the major killer of our children and we have to do everything we can to increase the survival rates especially around the uncommon forms of cancer. Rianna and I couldn’t do this on our own. We have an incredible Board that includes some of Australia’s most respected business people, including Trevor O’Hoy, Stephen Roberts, Ray Horsburgh, Ian Foote, Katie McNamara, Steven Ivak and James Henderson. Our founding Chairperson, Margaret Jackson, was an amazing contributor as are our Ponting XI members, including Christian Johnston, Peter de Rauch, Sir Ron Brierley, Philip Allison, Sir Michael Parkinson, Honey Bacon, and David and Kelli Lundberg.

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Here’s a simple summary of the routine that I went through every time I batted for Australia.

Last thing the night before a game or when I expected to bat

• Write a list of what I needed to do out in the middle

– Watch the ball

– Play straight

– Loud calls

– Be patient

– Be positive in attack and defence

– Bat for a long time

– Make 100

– Be man of the match

– Be man of the series

• Read this list out loud after writing it, underline each item when read and visualise each point for tomorrow

• Write a list of each bowler and how they will try to bowl

– Visualise how they will try to get me out

• Then switch off the light and go to sleep

Before going out to bat

• Get ready the same way each and every time

• Sit down and watch the openers with my gear all in same positions around me — ready to go

• Sit with a bottle of water and chew three pieces of gum

• Sip the water when needed

• As soon as a wicket falls, remove the gum and put it aside. Drink water and leave for the middle

Walking out to the middle

• Display energy and walk to the middle fairly quickly