Former Test stars believe Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has usurped Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest batsman in world cricket, and could continue plundering hapless bowling attacks until the age of 40.
The glowing appraisal of Ponting came as leading cricket statistician Ross Dundas revealed the Tasmanian run machine is on track to become the first player in Test history to hit 50 tons and smash the 15,000-run barrier.
The inspirational Ponting attracted rare praise last week after he pounded England into the Gabba turf with knocks of 196 and 60 not out, with many judges rating him behind only Don Bradman as Australia's greatest batsman.
The consensus is clear: Ponting has already attained greatness. But how far can he go? How much better can Ponting get as he prepares to destroy every batting milestone in sight?
Former Test skipper Bob Simpson says Ponting, 32 on December 19, has the conditioning and mental fortitude to become the 17th Australian to play Test cricket beyond his 40th birthday.
"The only way you can calculate the best batsman is the number of runs they score. He's getting more runs than anyone right now, so he's entitled to say he's the best batsman in the world," said Simpson, who was the last Australian to play in his 40s, retiring at 42 in May 1978 after making a brief comeback to help the establishment team during the World Series Cricket era.
"How long Ricky goes is purely up to him. We saw young Ian Thorpe retire before his time, but I think Ricky can play until 40 if he wants to, if he's free of injury.
"I think he's at his absolute peak. The critical thing is he's got that hunger to keep scoring runs and his shot selection is getting better each year."
While West Indian superstar Lara and Indian aristocrat Tendulkar have for years vied for the mantle of cricket's batting kingpin, statistics suggest Ponting has overtaken them and will set a benchmark that could stand for decades.
Ponting's average of 59.53 from 106 Tests is superior to that of Tendulkar (55.39) and Lara (52.91).
Before the second Test in Adelaide, "Punter" had tallied 9048 runs, placing him seventh on the all-time list. Tendulkar is fourth on 10,469 and Lara is at the summit on 11,904 runs.
But with Lara, 37, and an injury ravaged Tendulkar, 33, facing retirement in the next two or three years, Ponting is on course to become Test cricket's greatest runscorer.
Provided Ponting maintains his average, Dundas predicts the lad from Launceston will break new ground in the next Ashes series in England in July, 2009. Ponting could push further clear, to the point where he could score twice as many Test runs as the incomparable Bradman (6996).
With the Aussies playing an average of 10 Tests a year, Ponting could also pass 170 Tests.
"If Ricky played until 39 or 40, he's approaching 15,000 runs, provided he can maintain the level at which he is scoring runs," Dundas said.
"But even if he has a downer, he'll still be around the 13,000 or 14,000 mark.
"As for centuries, he's got 32 now so, if he played another five years, there is every chance he could reach 50 tons. It's phenomenal to think he could score that many . . . (but) when Bradman retired no one thought his runs record would go."
The scary part is that Ponting's getting better. The 2006 calendar year is shaping as his most devastating 12-months.
Going into the second Test, Ponting had compiled 1058 runs and six tons this year, at the Bradmanesque mark of 105.80. In 2003, he averaged a head-spinning 100.20.
Neither Lara nor Tendulkar has hit as many tons as Ponting in any calendar year, nor have either averaged more than 100 in a 12-month period.
Former Test skipper Mark Taylor believes Ponting has been the world's best batsman for more than a year and is now in the same batting stratosphere as the great Greg Chappell, who averaged 53.86 from 87 Tests.
"Lara and Tendulkar are magnificent batsmen but Ricky is the best in the world right now," Taylor said.
"If there is one guy who reminds me of Greg, it is Ricky."
Former opener Geoff Marsh insists Ponting has become more consistently dominant than Lara and Tendulkar.
"Ricky gets runs under all conditions in any country," Marsh said.
But Dundas notes Ponting has plundered in an age where the quality of the world's bowling attacks is questionable. Plus, Lara can bat mercilessly, and is the only man in Test history to reach 400.
Ponting's first-class best was 257 against India at the MCG in 2003.
- PETER BADEL