Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has become his country’s highest scorer in Test cricket, but according to cricket columnist Peter Roebuck, he will always be regarded as the second-best No.3 Australia has produced.

“Of course, it is absurd to put him (Ponting) or anyone else alongside Don Bradman, but that has been his fate, As a result, he tends to be denied some of the acclaim he deserves. He is a magnificent and enduring batsman, among the finest the game has known,” says Roebuck in his Sydney Morning Herald column.

It was a proud moment for Ponting and Australia when he passed Allan Border’s 11,174 runs on the second day of the third Ashes test at Edgbaston, Warwickshire, on Friday.

After a few moments of savouring the record achieved, Ponting regrouped and focused on the next ball.

“Breaking the record was a remarkable achievement that tells of skill, durability, temperament, fortitude adaptability and immense skill. Along the way he has prospered in every corner of the cricketing world,” says Roebuck.

“Now, in his pomp as an elder statesman, he appears at ease against all sorts of bowling in all sorts of conditions. Over the years he has tightened his game without losing aggression, has improved his footwork without squandering its sharpness, has bided his time without grinding to a halt. If anything, he is playing better than ever,” Roebuck adds.

“Throughout, he has been able to shrug off setbacks. He does not allow cricket to eat into him, Nor has the game ever exhausted him. Not once in a long and hectic career has he appeared disenchanted or spent. His energy has not faltered, his hopes remain intact. He counts among the most unbreakable of cricketers,” Roebuck says in tribute.