Ponting's average for 2003 is 100.20

Ricky Ponting ended the year with 1503 runs (including with six centuries) in 11 Tests at an average of 100.20. Only one batsman in Test cricket history --West Indian Viv Richards -- has accumulated more runs in a calendar year. Richards' aggregated 1710 from 11 Tests in 1976. Ponting easily surpassed previous Australian record, which was held by teammate Matthew Hayden who aggregated 1391 runs in 2001.

The feat of scoring 1000 runs in a calendar year has now been performed by 46 batsmen on 66 occasions. Australia's Clem Hill was the first batsman aggregate 1000 runs in a calendar year. India's Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar have done so on four occasions apiece. Four batsmen, Australia's Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Matthew Hayden and West Indian Brian Lara have performed this feat thrice each, while six batsmen -- England's Ken Barrington, David Gower, Graham Gooch and Mike Atherton, Australia's Ricky Ponting and South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs have done so twice each. Hayden is the only batsman to aggregate 1000 runs for three consecutive calendar years, while India's Mohinder Amarnath holds the distinction of being the fastest to complete 1000 runs in a calendar year. Amarnath completed his 1000 runs in 1983 on May 3. He needed only 123 days to accomplish the feat.

Runs	Batsman	Country	Year	Tests	Inns	NO	Hs	100s	50s	Ave.
1710	IVA Richards	West Indies	1976	11	19	0	291	7	5	90.00
1503	RT Ponting	Australia	2003	11	18	3	257	6	4	100.20
1481	MP Vaughan	England	2002	14	26	2	197	6	2	61.71
1407	SM Gavaskar	India	1979	17	26	0	221	4	8	54.12
1392	SR Tendulkar	India	2002	16	26	1	193	4	5	55.68
1391	ML Hayden	Australia	2001	14	25	3	203	5	5	63.23
1388	GR Viswanath	India	1979	17	26	2	179	5	6	57.83
1381	RB Simpson	Australia	1964	14	26	3	311	3	7	60.04
1379	DL Amiss	England	1974	13	22	2	262*	5	3	68.95
1357	R Dravid	India	2002	16	26	3	217	5	5	59.00
1344	BC Lara	West Indies	2003	10	19	1	209	5	5	74.67
1312	ML Hayden	Australia	2003	12	21	4	380	5	3	77.18
1310	SM Gavaskar	India	1983	18	32	4	236*	5	5	46.79
1299	G St A Sobers	West Indies	1958	8	13	4	365*	6	3	144.33
1271	ST Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	1997	11	19	0	340	3	7	66.89
1264	GA Gooch	England	1990	9	17	1	333	4	5	79.00
1241	DC Boon	Australia	1993	16	25	5	164*	4	7	62.05
1222	BC Lara	West Indies	1995	12	20	2	179	4	6	67.89
1222	AJ Stewart	England	1998	16	31	3	164	2	7	43.64
1220	PA de Silva	Sri Lanka	1997	11	19	3	168	7	2	76.25
1219	MA Taylor	Australia	1989	11	20	1	219	4	5	64.16
1198	GC Smith	South Africa	2003	12	19	0	277	4	2	63.05
1179	CG Greenidge	West Indies	1984	15	24	4	223	4	2	58.95
1160	ML Hayden	Australia	2002	11	17	1	197	6	3	72.50
1159	DCS Compton	England	1947	9	15	1	208	6	3	82.79
1156	HH Gibbs	South Africa	2003	12	19	1	228	4	3	64.22
1152	KJ Hughes	Australia	1979	14	27	3	130*	2	8	48.00
1151	BC Lara	West Indies	2001	9	18	0	221	3	4	63.94
1136	MA Atherton	England	1994	13	23	0	144	4	5	49.39
1129	MA Atherton	England	1995	13	24	1	185*	2	7	49.09
1124	HH Gibbs	South Africa	2001	13	22	1	196	3	6	53.52
1120	JH Kallis	South Africa	2001	13	23	7	189*	2	7	70.00
1112	MA Taylor	Australia	1998	12	22	3	334*	3	4	58.53
1106	MA Taylor	Australia	1993	15	23	2	170	4	5	52.67
1099	SM Gavaskar	India	1978	8	14	2	205	5	3	91.58
1099	DM Jones	Australia	1989	11	18	3	216	4	4	73.27
1099	AR Border	Australia	1985	11	20	3	196	4	2	64.65
1095	IT Botham	England	1982	14	22	0	208	3	6	49.77
1090	Inzamam-ul-Haq	Pakistan	2000	12	19	1	142	4	6	60.56
1088	SR Tendulkar	India	1999	10	19	3	217	5	4	68.00
1085	KWR Fletcher	England	1973	12	21	4	178	2	9	63.82
1077	M Amarnath	India	1983	14	24	1	120	4	7	46.83
1073	AR Border	Australia	1979	13	26	3	162	3	6	46.65
1067	GS Blewett	Australia	1997	15	25	0	214	2	6	42.68
1065	S Chanderpaul	West Indies	2002	14	22	6	140	4	6	66.56
1064	RT Ponting	Australia	2002	11	16	1	154	5	2	70.93
1061	DI Gower	England	1982	14	25	2	114	1	8	46.13
1060	C Hill	Australia	1902	12	21	2	142	2	7	55.79
1059	DI Gower	England	1986	14	25	1	136	2	6	44.12
1056	WM Lawry	Australia	1964	14	27	2	157	2	6	42.24
1053	DPM Jayawerdene	Sri Lanka	2001	13	19	0	150	4	4	55.42
1051	MJ Slater	Australia	1999	14	25	2	169	3	4	45.70
1045	A Flower	Zimbabwe	2000	9	16	3	232*	3	5	80.38
1044	DB Vengsarkar	India	1979	17	26	3	146*	4	6	45.39
1040	GA Gooch	England	1991	9	17	1	174	3	5	65.00
1040	WJ Cronje	South Africa	1998	14	24	2	126	1	9	47.27
1035	KF Barrington	England	1961	10	18	4	172	4	5	73.93
1034	ME Waugh	Australia	1998	12	22	6	153*	4	3	64.63
1029	Mohsin Khan	Pakistan	1982	10	17	3	200	4	4	73.50
1025	DG Bradman	Australia	1948	8	13	4	201	5	2	113.89
1024	SM Gavaskar	India	1976	11	20	1	156	4	4	53.89
1015	KF Barrington	England	1963	11	20	1	132*	3	5	53.42
1003	SR Tendulkar	India	2001	10	18	2	155	3	6	62.69
1003	ME Trescothick	England	2003	13	24	3	219	2	6	47.76
1000	AR Border	Australia	1986	11	19	3	140	5	3	62.50
1000	SR Tendulkar	India	1997	12	17	1	169	4	3	62.50