Australia's leading Test batsman Rickey Ponting ends his 17-year career.

Despite a dismissal Cheap Monday, Ricky Ponting went in style, the game's release in Australia batsman of all time leading test after an honor guard poignant South Africa. Shortly after the adoring crowd in Perth gave him a rousing sendoff, Australia, most of the Captain success was soon back in the pavilion with just eight points as his side continued an improbable 632 to win the third test. But Ponting, who turns 38 this month, will be tried in a brilliant career that tied the game Steve Waugh 168 Test matches - the most in the history of Australian cricket. His opponents South Africa gave a recognition that came out to bat on Monday to cheer tail on the ground. But in truth Ponting had failed to pull in the current series, and admitted that his time was up. Tasmania, which has 41 centuries, the legend of India Sachin Tendulkar not scoring more, said before the series decider in Perth he knew retirement was imminent. Over the past two weeks, my level of performance was not good enough, "he admits. "My passion and love for the game has not changed, but at the end of the day (the decision) was based on my results." Ponting has won more tests as captain - 48 - than any other Australian and incredible success rate of nearly 72 percent in one day lead the country, winning 164 of his 228 games. Ricky Ponting leaves the field after being dismissed for 8 runs in his last rounds of Test cricket WACA ground in Perth. (AFP Photo) He had already put an end to his captaincy of the Test and one-day team in March last year, but he continued as a player. Despite Australia skipper in over 300 tests and one day matches, taking over from Waugh, his sleeves were beautiful marred by three series Ashes loss as captain. Nicknamed Punter by Shane Warne for his penchant for a bet (punt) on greyhounds, Ponting amassed 13,378 runs in 168 Tests at 51.85 and 13,704 runs in 375 one-day internationals. As captain, he oversaw a painful transition in Australian cricket after several retirements large, including Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer. But even with such greats in the ranks, Ponting, as captain, lost in 2005 Ashes in England, and despite engineering a revenge 5-0 in the home series that followed in 2006/07, he lost again in 2009 and 2010/11. This is the last crash was not well received in Australia - it was their first home defeat for 24 years and Ashes followed by a series of defeats Ponting led teams. Eldest of four children born to working-class suburb of Tasmania Mowbray, Ricky Ponting Thomas was influenced to play cricket by his uncle Greg Campbell, who has played Tests for Australia in 1989 and 1990. Ponting continued to state his debut at age 17, the youngest to represent Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield domestic competition before making his one-day international debut aged 20 in 1995. He only scored one against South Africa in his first match, but went on to become one of the giants of cricket batting with his first test coming 10 months later in December against Sri Lanka Perth. Ponting had a rocky start in the public eye and was suspended for three games in 1999 by the Heads of Australian cricket following an early morning brawl in a bar in Sydney. Married with two children, he is known as an activist against cancer and created the Foundation with Ponting's wife Rianna to raise funds for young Australians affected by the disease. Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland has been described as one of the best players to have the pad in place, and asked him to continue in the game to some extent, although Ponting has not yet announced his future plans.