Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting unveiled a statue of himself on the eve of the first Test against the West Indies in Hobart.

The 40-year-old – born in Launceston, Tasmania – enjoyed a simply outstanding career for his country, scoring 13,378 runs in 168 Test matches at an average of 51.85.

He hit 41 hundreds in the game’s longest format and added 30 in the one-day international arena, where he scored 13,704 runs.

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Arguably his country’s second-best batsman, behind only Don Bradman, the statue of Ponting will reside at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena.

He also has a stand named after him at the venue.

“Never did I think I would have a grandstand or a statue named after me at Blundstone Arena,” Ponting said.

“I’m a Tasmanian to the bone.

“When I moved (interstate), I said I would only play in a baggy green cap – for Tasmania and Australia.”

Ponting made his debut for Tasmania at 17 and three years later, was playing for Australia.

His pull shot and on-drives become the stuff of folklore and he was also renowned for his aggressive captaincy, which yielded 48 wins in 77 Test matches.

Ponting has moved into coaching and commentary following his playing career, leading the Mumbai Indians to IPL glory earlier this year.

He was also inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in October.

See the full statue below:

The statue is playing Ponting’s famous pull shot. Photo: AAP