Australian captain Ricky Ponting insists he still has plenty to offer as a captain and a batsman despite the heavy fourth Test defeat which secured the Ashes for England.
The tourists put the finishing touches on a resounding innings and 157-run victory at the MCG on Wednesday, a win which handed England a 2-1 series lead with one Test remaining.
It heaped more pressure on 36-year-old Ponting whose future has been called into question amid a grim series yielding him just 113 runs at 16.14.
But Ponting, who went for more X-rays on his broken finger before play on Wednesday, was adamant he still had something to offer the Australian side and was hopeful of playing the fifth tests tarting in Sydney on Monday.
"My series has been horrible, there's no two ways to describe that," Ponting said.
"I just haven't performed the way I needed to perform if Australia was going to win and I take full responsibility for that.
"The positive is I've got another game next week hopefully to have some sort of impact on the series and hopefully do the best that I can to win a Test match for Australia.
"That's the thing that's most important to me now - I still think I've got a lot to offer the team as a batsman and as a leader and hopefully that all comes out next week."
Ponting said he had yet to study the results of his latest X-rays with the team medical staff.
The injury and his lack of form has prompted some to suggest the 36-year-old may have captained the Australian Test side for the last time, with a push to replenish the team in the wake of another Ashes disaster.
"... a couple of the selectors are here at the moment so we'll have a chat about things this afternoon," he said.
"Who knows which way things are going to work out - we've been beaten badly here (and) I know there's been speculation about different things, I'm sure a lot of that will be sorted out this afternoon."
Share
