Ricky Ponting's back-to-back double centuries against India saw him finish 2003 as the leading run scorer in Test cricket.

Ponting's 242 in Adelaide and his career-high 257 in Melbourne helped him finish the year with 1503 runs at the Don Bradman-like average of 100.20.

The Australian vice-captain's total was the second highest for a single year in Test cricket, behind Viv Richards' 1710 in 1976.

West Indies captain Brian Lara finished second in 2003 with 1344 while Australia's Matthew Hayden was third with 1312 after breaking Lara's world record of 375 with his 380 against Zimbabwe.

South African paceman Makhaya Ntini finished the year as the leading Test wicket-taker with 59, just ahead of Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill (57) and Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (48).

Pakistan's Yousuf Youhana edged Ponting by just 14 runs to finish the year as the leading run-scorer in one-day internationals with 1168 while Muralitharan and Australian fast bowler Brett Lee topped the bowling with 46 wickets apiece.

Australia finished the year as the leading country in both Tests and one-dayers.