Captain Ricky Ponting is confident of overcoming a broken finger in time to lead Australia in the fourth Ashes Test against England starting Dec. 26.
A fractured little finger on his left hand prevented Ponting from taking the field on his 36th birthday on Sunday, and instead watched from the pavilion as his team took the last five England wickets inside an hour of the morning session to complete an emphatic 267-run win that squared the series 1-1.
“I am a really good chance of playing,” Ponting said after the victory. “I’ll be alright.
“I am not going to be silly and put myself ahead of the team. I will make the decision on the morning of the game and do the right thing by the team.”
Ponting was heavily criticised last year for carrying an elbow injury he sustained against the West Indies in Perth into the series opener against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. His movements were heavily restricted and played the game with a lot of pain.
The selectors will name a cover for Ponting when they announce the squad for the fourth Test in the event Ponting fails a fitness test.
With England holding the Ashes, Australia must at least prevent the tourists winning at the M.C.G. to maintain hopes of winning back the urn in the final Test in Sydney.
Ponting sustained the broken finger late in Saturday’s play when he fumbled an attempted catch from an edged shot by Jonathan Trott, with wicketkeeper Brad Haddin catching the rebound.
