Ponting tops Australia's most wanted list

Ricky Ponting is the most marketable sporting figure in Australia and five of the top ten sponsorship favourites come from cricket, according to a research report. Ponting has become used to life at the top during his career and beat a field including the swimmers Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett and the footballer Harry Kewell.

The Sweeney Sports report, which measured how suitable 70 sportspeople were to endorse brands and organisations, had Ponting first, Adam Gilchrist seoncd and Brett Lee fifth - he was tied with Hackett. The retired duo of Glenn McGrath and Steve Waugh were equal seventh while Shane Warne was 16th. Andrew Symonds improved to 23rd alongside the boxer Kostya Tszyu and footballer Tim Cahill.

"The biggest increase in popularity during the past year has been recorded by Andrew Symonds, who sprung from equal 58th position last year," the Sweeney Sports general manager Todd Deacon said. "Warne's ranking during his career has see-sawed depending on off-field scandals.

"A largely scandal-free year has meant a high ranking, but negative events have tended to send his ranking plummeting." His final position was up almost a year after retiring.