Ricky Ponting takes subtle dig at recently divorced ex-deputy Michael Clarke's leadership

Earlier this week, Australian legends Ricky Ponting and Greg Chappell were present at the Chappell Foundation's charity dinner which raises money for homeless youth. According to reports from the event, former captain Ricky Ponting made a statement in which he explained how he saw the 2018 ball-tampering scandal coming way in advance. According to Ponting, the ethical leadership in the Australian camp was severely lacking ahead of the scandal at Newlands that had captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner being handed one-year bans from the game.

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Ricky Ponting highly critical of Michael Clarke's leadership

Even though Ricky Ponting had handed over Test captaincy to Michael Clarke in 2011, he did not retire until the end of 2012. Ponting explained that he made this decision so that the team did not lack any experience or wiseheads. In what could be considered a subtle dig at the then-captain Michael Clarke, Ponting insisted that the presence of ethically-sound senior figures have benefitted every team that he has played in throughout his life till the likes of Justin Langer, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and Damien Martyn retired during the 2007-2008 period. The legendary batsman added that he did not see any guidance for young cricketers like Steve Smith and David Warner during the time he gave up his Test captaincy and had he stepped out of the team at that point, the youngsters could have gone down the wrong path. Ponting lauded the change that Australian cricket has seen since Justin Langer's arrival as head coach after the Newlands scandal.

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Michael Clarke divorce

The polarising former Australian skipper has been in the news again because of his high-profile split with his wife Kyly. Clarke had been married to Kyly for seven years and the couple have a four-year-old daughter together. Clarke recently announced his divorce to the media after which it was revealed that the couple has split amicably and Clarke has already moved out of the couple's home.

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