From facing the old foe, England, to a World Cup campaign, Australia's cricket captain charts his year ... In 2006-07, Ricky Ponting's Australian team achieved the first Ashes clean sweep in 86 years, an experience Ponting described as 'the best of my cricketing life'. It featured stunning performances from men such as Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds, while the captain himself drew comparisons with Bradman following his hundreds in the opening two tests.Yet, immediately afterwards, the Australians produced an even more commanding performance at the World Cup in the Caribbean. Not even the bizarre ending to the final againstSri Lanka, in near darkness after officials misinterpreted the playing conditions, could hide the fact that this victory was one of the most dominant in Australian sporting history.It was a season of triumph, but also the last for some of Ponting's great teammates - Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn - and coach John Buchanan, who all announced their retirements.In Captain's Diary 2007, Ponting pays tribute to these men, and in doing so reveals why they, and the team he is privileged to captain, are so special.

A Captain's Diary is an inspiring and honest th tourourney from the post-World Cup tour of the West Indies that re-established Australia's place as the official number-one Test nation, to the trip to Zimbabwe that was laced with controversy before a ball was even bowled.In 2004, Ricky Ponting assumed one of the highest honours in Australian sport when he became Australia's 42nd Test captain. Following in the footsteps of the retiring Stephen Waugh : the most successful captain in the history of Test cricket Ponting's first act was to lead his side to a thrilling 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka.During the period covered by this diary , and in addition to the victory in Sri Lanka australia secured series wins over the West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and fought a titanic four-match clash with India that finished all square at 1-1. And in the one-day game, Ponting's side built on its World Cup triumph with wins over the West Indies, Bangladesh, New Zealand, India, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, stretching its winning run to a world-record 21 successive matches.In his diary, Ponting shares behind-the-scenes stories and unique insights into what makes the Australian side so successful, including personal assessments of his champion team-mates. Supported by a comprehensive statistics package and brilliant colour photographs, Ponting's incisive and candid diary is compulsory reading for every cricket fan.

It was one thing for the Aussie cricket team to become world champions; staying No. 1 is a whole new ball game. 'When the Australian team talks about playing aggressively, we are committing ourselves to playing hard. there's nothing given and there's nothing asked to be given.'- RICKY PONtING, OCtOBER 6, 2007the Australian cricket team's program for 2007-08 was as hectic as ever, featuring the ICC World twenty20 and matches against ?Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand and the West Indies. As well, many of the Australian players were involved in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League. Yet when the season began, no one could have imagined it would generate the headlines it did.Much of this coverage came from the acrimonious battles between Australia and India, both in a one-day series in India and then in the tests in Australia that followed. Ricky Ponting was confronted with a series of controversies that none of his predecessors as Australian captain had faced, and now, in Captain's Diary 2008, he explains his side of the story. Many players, including Ponting, who are more used to being treated as heroes, were suddenly cast as villains. Did they really deserve the level of criticism that came their way?the Australian team has changed greatly in the past two years. Having lost a number of champions in 2007, a few more stars - most notably Adam Gilchrist - retired in 2008, and here Ponting pays tribute. He also traces the astounding rise of twenty20, and offers his view as to where this exciting new form of cricket might take the game he loves.

As Australia realised its dreams of winning the World Cup for a historic third time, the smile rarely left Ricky Ponting's face. Leading from the front in the amazing final, the captain played the innings of his life for an unbeaten 140 runs, and powered Australia to victory without having lost a single game on its way.

A Season of Tests, Turmoil and Twenty20 Few Australian cricket captains have had a tougher time than that experienced by Ricky Ponting in 2008-09 - a controversial test tour of India, series home and away against South Africa, more than 30 ODIs, the ICC World twenty20. And, finally, the fight for the Ashes.Ponting began the year with a better winning percentage than any other captain in test history, but this adventure ended in disappointment, as his young side fell just short in England after a typically dramatic confrontation. the task of replacing recently retired champions such as Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and Hayden is still a work in progress. However, this is a story with many positives, as Ponting's Australians produced a number of impressive performances, most notably in South Africa, when they stunned the home side in consecutive matches, and at Leeds, when they completed one of the most decisive test wins of recent times. the emergence of young guns such as Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes and Peter Siddle points to an exciting future. throughout the period of cricket recalled in Ashes Diary 2009, Ponting played with a steely spirit that impressed many observers, including the Guardian newspaper which, after the final Ashes test, wrote, 'Staring down the barrel of a loss that must have hurt more than any other in his career, Ponting showed what a class act he is.' During the series, he had become Australia's highest test run-scorer. At the end, the crowd at the Oval gave him an extended standing ovation.this insider's account follows the path that led to this increased respect. It had been quite a year ...

CultureShock! Australia is chock-full of information that will help you assimilate effortlessly into life in the land Down Under. Written in an easy-to-read style, this book covers all the basics for settling in, including the options you should consider before deciding whether to have a pool in your backyard or a full-fledged garden in the front, and what to do when your teenagers assert their rights. Peer beneath the laid-back veneer of the Australian people and learn more about what they hold dear as well as their attitudes towards ‘tall poppies’ and multiculturalism. Discover how to entertain guests around the ‘barbie’ and what to do when given a ‘shout’. Find out more about how to speak Strine as well as how important leisure is in the Australian working world. CultureShock! Australia is the only guide you will need to fully understand the Aussie people and their culture and truly enjoy your stay in the land of the Southern Cross.

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting gives an insider's view of his mighty team, describing the issues facing him and his men as they prepare for a rematch of the game's traditional and most intriguing confrontation: The Ashes.