Ponting special from start, says cricket legend

Chappell, in his role as a cricket commentator, witnessed Ponting's entire 17-year international career,  saying he knew from the start that the Mowbray Master was going to be special.

``In Ponting's case, when I saw him at 17 I thought `there's an international cricketer if ever you've seen one','' he said.

``To see how he evolved and grew as a cricketer, a captain and a person it was terrific to follow him.

``It was the right time for him to go, as you're always better to go a little earlier than a little late.

``I did an interview with Ricky before the start of the season, and I asked him whether he was prepared to be dropped and he said it wouldn't come to that, and he was true to his word.

``To me Ricky Ponting will always be remembered as someone who had the skill and the courage to counter-attack at the loss of an early wicket, and to me, that's your ideal number three.''

But Chappell was less complimentary about two of Ponting's Tasmanian teammates in Ed Cowan and George Bailey.

Chappell yesterday reiterated his earlier comments that Cowan was not the man that should be opening the batting at Hobart's Bellerive Oval with David Warner today, and that Bailey was not deserving of his position as the nation's Twenty20 skipper.

``Ed Cowan is not part of the future of Australian cricket and they need to move in another direction,'' he said.

``I think they should be opening with Watson and Warner and it's bollocks he (Watson) should be down the order so he can bowl more.

``On Bailey he is not in the best Twenty20 team, so I'm not sure why we're picking a captain and a team afterwards.''