RETIREMENT\\ The 37-year-old former Australian Captain, Ricky Ponting, announced his retirement from cricket in December 2012. Ponting announced his decision at the conclusion of the third Test match against South Africa. But he agreed to play for Tasmania and represent Hobart Hurricanes in 2013 in the Big Bash League, Australia’s T20 tournament. Speculation had surrounded Ponting’s future over the past few days after he failed in Brisbane and Adelaide against South Africa, scoring 0, 4, and 16. “It’s a decision I thought long and hard about. At the end of the day, it was about my results and output in this series,” said the Launceston-born batsman. “If you look back over the past 18 months, I haven’t been able to perform consistently.” Noting that he had first discussed his retirement with his wife, the former captain admitted to the difficulty involved in breaking the news to his teammates. “I tried to tell them a lot, but I didn’t get much out. They’ve never seen me emotional, but I was this morning.”