Ricky Ponting was anxious to get to his century and that showed. Stuck on 99 for a few deliveries Ponting hit the ball cleanly, but straight to the fielder on more than one occasion. When the ball was on his pads and full the Tasmanian middle order bat managed to whip the ball through midwicket, registering his century from the 105th ball he faced. A relieved man, Ponting had finally made runs in proportion to his talent on this tour. The relief on Ponting's face was there for all to see. With a sparkling century Ponting had achieved a double objective. Firstly, he had silenced his many critics and more importantly Ponting had overcome his run of bad form.