By TNI Bureau: 
Australia’s all-time leading Test batsman and most successful captain, Ricky Ponting has announced his retirement from international cricket, on the eve of the third Test against South Africa in Perth.
The 38-year-old Tasmanian said that the third test against South Africa starting on Friday would be his last match.
Following a poor start to the Test series with low scores against South Africa during recent draws in Brisbane and Adelaide, Ponting admitted that he was troubled by the “tentative” manner of his dismissals. In Adelaide, he was bowled twice in the same match for only the second time in a career that began in 1995.
“My passion and love for the game hasn’t changed but at the end of the day the decision was based on my results and my output in this series so far,” Ponting said.
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“I’m glad I have got the opportunity to finish on my terms,” he added.
Ponting will go out in style at the WACA, equaling Steve Waugh’s mark of 168 Test matches — the most in the history of Australian cricket. He can boast 41 centuries only behind to Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar in scoring Test century.
He had already called a halt on his captaincy of the Test and one-day team in March last year, but continued as a player.
Ponting has won more Tests as captain with 48 than any other Australian and has an outstanding success rate of almost 72 percent as the country’s one-day captain, winning 164 of his 228 games.
Nicknamed Punter by Shane Warne for his penchant for a bet (punt) on the greyhounds, Ponting has amassed 13,366 runs in 167 Tests at 52.21, and 13,704 runs in 375 one-day internationals.