Cricket: Will Australia Be Affected by the Loss of Ricky Ponting?

The name Ricky Ponting is almost synonymous with one-day cricket as the Australian veteran is considered by many to be one of the game's greatest players.

And with 13,704 runs in the 50-over game throughout his 375-game career, it would appear that they would be dead right in their assessments of him.

Throw in to the mix his three World Cup titles—two as captain—and words almost don't do justice to the success he's had.

However, after a run of five single-figure scores in the recent tri-series against Sri Lanka and India, the Australian legend was dropped from the side.

Whilst it may not have come as a complete surprise, the attention now focuses on whether or not Australia can respond without their run-scoring legend?

Australian selector John Inverarity voiced the concerns of many, as he commented on the concerns of many as to whether Australian cricket would be able to win without Ponting:

"The team will not seem the same without him, but moving on from the omission of players who have been outstanding over a long period of time is the nature of elite sport...Ricky's contribution goes far beyond batting statistics and his brilliant fielding...His record speaks for itself [as] he is held in the highest possible regard by his teammates and there is no higher accolade than this..."

As Inverarity hints at, it is almost impossible for a side not to be affected by the loss of a player with the caliber of Ricky Ponting—especially considering the impact that he had on the team outside of his batting and fielding abilities.

Yet at the same time, Australia must focus on the depth of players that they currently have at hand, and if they can win the Commonwealth Bank Series in the next week or so, it will go a long way to helping them move on without Ponting.

With Shane Watson coming back in to the side from injury, and players like Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, David Warner and Matthew Wade all performing, Australian cricket is still in safe hands for many years to come.

They must still be considered as a threat still in all one-day meetings.

Even without Ricky Ponting.

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