Australia captain Ricky Ponting said yesterday he was taken aback by former England skipper Michael Vaughan's decision to retire from cricket.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting said yesterday he was taken aback by former England skipper Michael Vaughan's decision to retire from cricket. Vaughan, England's Ashes -winning captain in 2005 when Ponting was his opposite number, called time on his professional career with immediate effect yesterday.
The 34-year-old batsman made the decision to quit after failing to win a place in England's 16-man Ashes training squad ahead of next week's first Test against Australia in Cardiff.
Ponting, who will lead Australia in a four-day warm-up match against the England Lions here at New Road starting today, was convinced his old rival still had an international future ahead of him.
"I must admit I am a bit surprised by his retirement," Ponting said. "It is only a couple of months ago that I was thinking he might be named in the first Test squad by England.
"I thought he might have a bit more to offer international cricket somewhere down the line.
"With him being a contracted player, I thought there was a chance he might have found himself back in the Ashes squad.
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