The era is made of three men who led Australia: Taylor, Waugh, Ponting.

Taylor, the gum-chewing opener, who showed that narrow-eyed pursuit of victory could still keep you large hearted when he once declared Australia’s innings at Peshawar while himself on 334 — 334 was Don Bradman’s highest Test score.

The match was ultimately drawn, but Taylor’s controversial declaration “in the first innings” has kept the conversation going as we find ways to choose our favourite cricketers.

Then there was Waugh. He was so tough on the field, always plotting — and seen to be plotting “mental disintegration.” But then, he’d slip off to Kolkata and his good works. Even Sourav Ganguly’s proudly partisan fans could not bring themselves to be angry with Waugh when he accused the Prince of Kolkata to be guilty of “match fixing” by “trying to influence the groundsmen in India.”

On Waugh’s watch, Australia became a dream machine. Once John Buchanan began to coach, calling in baseballers for fielding tips and talking of a time soon when the Australians would be ambidextrous, we began marking the gap between where Australia were headed and where the rest of the cricket-playing world was stalling.

It is in this New Australia that Ponting found his captaincy. He may not have been conquered to the point of delusion about the myth of Australia’s inevitable supremacy. But just the talk of supremacy did weigh on him. Ponting is different from his predecessors, the only statement he has ever wanted to make has been on the scorecard.

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