Aussie legend Ricky Ponting runs into former captain Michael Clarke's pretty ex-girlfriend at Australian Grand Prix

They are old pals. Lara Worthington is particularly close to Ponting's wife, Rianna.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and his family attended the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Some of the biggest celebrities in the country descended on the event, if truth be told.

Ponting is a family man. Here he is enjoying a glass of wine with his wife Rianna. (Ricky Ponting on X)

Ponting also met Lara Worthington there. The 38-year-old model looked absolutely stunning in a grey blazer in an oversized cut. Fans would remember, Worthington is the former girlfriend of former Australia captain Michael Clarke, who was at the helm when the Aussies won the World Cup in 2015 on their home soil.

Worthington, then known as Lara Bingle, and Clarke dated each other for three years. The couple announced their split in 2010 after being engaged for two years.

At the Albert Park venue, the old pals embraced each other. Worthington is particularly close to Rianna, Ponting's wife. Rianna had once said that, prior to the Clarke-Bingle relationship, there was little media focus on the wives and girlfriends of cricketers. “I think it changed when the beautiful Lara Bingle came along and made WAGs interesting,” Rianna told Stellar.

“Prior to that, cricket WAGS weren't really a thing. And thank goodness! The idea of no one caring was much easier than having all that scrutiny,” she added.

Ponting's "clone" son Fletcher was also in attendance at the grand prix event. “He drives me mad, honestly. Everyone that sees him and even my family, he's just a clone of what I was at the same age. He lives and breathes the game,” the former Australia captain said last year in an interview. Ponting also has two daughters, and one of them was there at the high-profile F1 event.

Ponting recently slammed the Australian cricket team

Ponting always stays in the news for one reason or another. One of two captains to win back-to-back World Cups, Ponting recently tore into the Aussie team for underperforming in the T20 World Cup that got over on Sunday night with India’s win over New Zealand in the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

A defeat by minnows Zimbabwe had earlier triggered Australia’s eventual ouster. Later, they also lost to Sri Lanka. “You look at that Australian team on paper, it just doesn’t look to have that sort of aura around it that a lot of other Australian teams have going into ICC events and World Cups,” said Ponting.

“You need to have your best players and your most experienced players standing up and winning big moments for you in these tournaments if you want to go ahead and win, and Australia haven’t had that,” he added.