©Getty Images / Cricket Australia By Matt Cenin for cricket.com.au

Australian cricket captains, Ricky Ponting and Karen Rolton were joined by recently retired pace bowler Glenn McGrath in Canberra yesterday, to celebrate the 20 year partnership between Cricket Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

Ponting, Rolton and McGrath were joined by all-rounders Shane Watson and Lisa Sthalekar, to recognise the influence the Centre of Excellence (COE) has had in improving Australian cricket.

Ponting and Rolton said the partnership had been vital in contributing to on-field success of their teams in recent years, with players such as Watson, McGrath and Sthalekar all coming through the scholarship program.

Federal Sports Minister, Senator George Brandis was in attendance to represent the government. He acknowledged the importance of the alliance between the AIS and Cricket Australia had been pivotal in Australia maintaining its position as the best cricket nation in the world.

AIS Hall of Fame member McGrath, said he gained essential knowledge on the sport science side of cricket from his stint at the COE, which helped him learn how to look after his body over a long career.

The COE, which was formerly based in Adelaide and known as the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy, is now based in Brisbane and has built a reputation as a world-class training facility for Australia’s players, coaches and umpires.

Since the scholarship program commenced in 1987, there have been 165 male and 44 female cricketers inducted, with many going on to represent Australia at under age or senior level.