Top 20 in 2020: The best Test batting, No.2

Re-live the countdown in full: 20-18 | 17-15 | 14-12 | 11-9 | 8-6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

There have been more than 250 scores of 100 of more in Tests in Australia so far this century, so narrowing it down to just 20 has been no easy task.

In judging the best performances, the cricket.com.au team considered the quality of the bowling attack, the difficulty of the conditions, strike rate, the length of the innings, the percentage of the team's total and the situation of the game.

A player's previous record and relative experience plus the impact their performance had on a match and a series also weighted heavily.

Before you get stuck into this countdown, you can re-live some other memorable batting performances by looking back on our 20 in 2020 Best Test Moments countdown from earlier this year.

2) Ricky Ponting, 257 & 31no

Australia v India, Melbourne, 2003

Image Id: BD4B0A3720364847B7C1FF2C830FE44B

By Martin Smith

In a 17-year career at the top level that yielded more than 27,000 international runs, Ricky Ponting was probably at his peak as a Test batsman in the third of four Tests against India in the 2003-04 home summer.

In a golden 15-month period from October 2002 to the end of the following year, Ponting churned out more than 2200 Test runs in 18 Tests at an average approaching 90, with his 10 hundreds in that time including three double centuries and three scores exceeding 150.

In 2003 alone, he scored more than 1500 runs at an average of more than 100 and his 242 in the second Test of that 2003-04 home summer was, at that stage, the highest score of his career.

At least it was, until he bettered it two weeks later.

"I guess when you're making back-to-back doubles and not making many mistakes along the way, you probably are (in the best form of your career)," Ponting recalled recently to cricket.com.au.

"One thing you do know is when you're in that sort of touch, you just have to capitalise."

And over the course of almost 10 hours of batting on days two and three of the 2003 Boxing Day Test, capitalise is exactly what Ponting did to not only rescue his side from the brink of a historic series loss, but set-up an eight-wicket win that he would – fittingly – clinch himself by hitting the winning runs.

Of the three double centuries Ponting scored in 2003, his 257 at MCG was – statistically at least – his least dominant performance.

Image Id: 3CBEDD5546DC47B88AEDCB7C3EEACC64

His third career double – the slowest of the six he scored in his career – was brought up from the 368th ball he faced, 80 deliveries more than it took him to reach the milestone in Adelaide a fortnight beforehand and 22 balls more than in Trinidad earlier in the year.

But faced with the task of building a response to a competitive first-innings total, rather than blazing a target on the opening day as he'd done in Adelaide and Trinidad, Ponting knew that patience was needed more than dominant aggression.

Having marked centre just before lunch on day two with India still 336 runs in front and 1-0 up in the series, Australia's No.3 finally departed late in the final session on day three having guided the home side to what would be a match-winning lead of 192 runs.

The majority of his innings was played at a remarkably consistent pace; he brought up his half-century from 87 balls, moved from 50 to 100 in 85 balls and 100 to 150 in 89 balls. Against a similar attack just 14 days earlier, he had reached those same milestones in 64, 53 and 75 deliveries respectively.

It was a steady and controlled performance, but it wasn't without moments of flair.

At various points, he leant forward and clipped Agit Agarkar to the mid-wicket boundary, shifted back and cracked him through point and pushed forward again to caress him through the covers.

He rocked back and played his trademark pull shot with ease off the bowling of Zaheer Khan, and saved his best for a full delivery from Ashish Nehra that he crunched between the stumps and his batting partner Matthew Hayden at the bowler's end.

He brought up his 20th Test hundred with a deft single into the leg-side off Anil Kumble, one of 15 he would nudge off the spinner between backward square leg and mid-wicket.

Ponting largely treated Kumble with caution, hitting just one boundary off his bowling in his first 100 runs as the veteran bowled with the control and guile that saw him finish with six wickets from 51 overs.

Image Id: 58B7F190A5264E76B65B58F1A02686AC

But the runs flowed off the leggie's bowling more freely later in the innings and Ponting finished their enthralling battle with six boundaries mixed in with 107 dot balls and 36 singles.

He barely deviated from his grinding tactics until he had just the tail for company, moving from 200 to 250 in just 66 balls before he was stumped attempting a slog at Kumble.

By then, though, a match that appeared to be India's to lose at tea on the opening day was firmly in Australia's hands.

By Ponting's own admission, it was far from the most difficult pitch he encountered in his career; as his 234-run partnership with Hayden and Virender Sehwag's blistering opening-day assault showed, runs were there for the taking.

But for a display of pure batsmanship from one of the best players of all time, at the absolute peak of his powers, it was a joy to behold.

Top 20 in 2020: Best Test batting in Australia since 2000

20) Ricky Pontingv South Africa, Sydney, 2006

19) Virender Sehwagv Australia, Melbourne, 2003

18) David Warnerv New Zealand, Hobart, 2011

17) Virat Kohliv Australia, Adelaide, 2014

16) Alastair Cookv Australia, Brisbane, 2010

15) VVS Laxmanv Australia, Sydney, 2000

14) Steve Smithv England, Perth, 2017

13) Hashim Amlav Australia, Perth, 2012

12) Cheteshwar Pujarav Australia, Adelaide, 2018

11) AB de Villiersv Australia, Perth, 2008

10) Kevin Pietersenv Australia, Adelaide, 2010

9) Michael Clarkev South Africa, Adelaide, 2012

8) Steve Smithv England, Brisbane, 2017

7) Kumar Sangakkara v Australia, Hobart, 2007

6) Sachin Tendulkar v Australia, Sydney, 2004

5) Brian Larav Australia, Adelaide, 2005

4) JP Duminyv Australia, Melbourne, 2008

3) Rahul Dravidv Australia, Adelaide, 2003

2) Ricky Pontingv India, Melbourne, 2003

1) Faf du Plessisv Australia, Adelaide 2012