Ricky Ponting rushed to hospital after heart scare while commentating during 1st Australia vs West Indies Test
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting was taken to hospital on Friday after suffering a heart problem while commentating during day three of Australia's first Test against West Indies at Perth Stadium, reports in Australian media said.
Australia great Ricky Ponting suffered a health scare while commentating during the 1st Australia vs West Indies Test match and was rushed to a local hospital in Perth, reports in the Australian media claimed. Ponting, who is part of the Channel 7 experts panel and also has a gig at SKY, apparently felt uneasy on live TV before he went off commentary and did not return.
No confirmed details have emerged or been made public about the condition of Ponting's health. Ponting, 47, had commentated for almost 40 minutes before the incident occurred right at the stroke of lunch on Day 3. He was taken to the hospital in a car accompanied by his former Australia teammate and coach Justin Langer.
"Ricky Ponting is unwell and will not be providing commentary for the remainder of today's coverage," a spokesperson for broadcaster Channel 7 said in a statement to Australian media. Later, as per a report in The Telegraph, Ponting's colleagues reported that he is 'doing ok'.
Considered one of the greatest captains of all time, Ponting led Australia during the golden era of dominance. Under him, Australia won back-to-back World Cups in 2003 and 2007, to go with the Champions Trophy in 2006. Ponting is also the second-most successful Test captain of all time, leading the team to 48 wins and led them to 16 consecutive Test wins, matching his predecessor Steve Waugh's world record.
Ponting, a veteran of 168 Tests and 375 ODIs for Australia is the country's leading run-scorer in Tests tallying 13,378 runs at an average of 51.85 including 41 centuries. He leads the charts in ODIs as well with 13,589 runs including 29 hundreds and 82 half-centuries. He was also part of Australia's World Cup winning campaign in 1999.
Ponting announced his retirement in 2012 and is currently involved in the coaching set-up for IPL franchise Delhi Capitals. Ponting's heart scare comes less than a year after his former Australia teammate Shane Warne passed away following a cardiac arrest.
