It’s the end of the ODI road for Ricky Thomas Ponting. It doesn’t matter if hamstrung Michael Clarke cannot be fit enough for the next game against Sri Lanka at Bellerive on Friday, Ponting has done his dash after 375 ODIs.

His last five digs – 2,1, 6, 2, 7 – a total of 18 runs at an average 3.60, off a painful to watch 66 deliveries.

What has happened to the 37-year-old veteran, arguably one of the greatest batsmen of the modern era?

He’s but a limp shadow of his last five Test innings against India recently – 60, 134, 7, 221, 60* – for a handsomely put together 542 runs at an average of 135.50.

Ponting has lost it – yet it’s not necessarily an age issue, with 37-year-old Mike Hussey showing he has still got it.

He’s batted four times in the ODI series, missing the loss to India at Adelaide on the rotation system, scoring 45, 23, 13, 59 for an average 35.

Nothing flash, but reliable.

And that’s been Hussey’s calling as an international. He’s the only batsman in the world to career average over 50 in both Tests and ODIs, a phenomenal double, averaging 50.82 in Tests, and 50.52 in ODIs.

The list of next bests reads Jacques Kallis – 57.02 and 45.55, Sachin Tendulkar – 55.44 and 44.88, and Ponting – 53.44 and 42.03, among others.

Australia’s younger brigade would do well to take a leaf out of Hussey’s book of consistency.

Peter Forrest (26) is the best of them, averaging 44.66 in this series. But David Warner (25), and Matt Wade (24) are way below potential in averaging 22.80 and 28.80 respectively.