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Ricky Ponting is not afraid of failing in his attempt to go to England for a final tilt at the Ashes in 2013, and has made it clear that he will go on playing Test cricket for Australia for as long as he possibly can.A summary dismissal from the ODI team has provided Ponting, 37, with the sharp reminder that he will have to perform or perish. But he gave every indication he would go on in Test cricket for as long as possible, even if it meant the end may come in similar circumstances to those Ponting found himself in at the SCG, answering questions the day after the national selector John Inverarity’s phone call.”I’ve always been of the belief that I don’t mind people trying things and failing. That’s the way I’m looking at it as well,” Ponting said. “I tried my best over the last five games to be the best player I could be and to win games of cricket for Australia, unfortunately I couldn’t do that and I failed, and I’ve been dropped from the one-day side.”To tell the honest truth I didn’t really see this coming either, I had no communication from the selectors that it might’ve happened through this series, but it’s my job as an international batsman to score runs and I haven’t done that in the last few games.”Only if it ends badly [can I be too proud], but I’m backing myself to finish the game and finish my career on a high, I don’t want to finish on a low, and I’ll make the right decision at the right time, there’s no doubt about that.”It’d be great to get back to the Ashes. If I’m a good enough player to do that then it’d be great to go back there one more time and hopefully have a few better memories of England than what I’ve had the last couple of tours. Everybody is [after redemption], as far as Ashes cricket is concerned.”Ponting faced his first day as a Test-match-only concern with typical frankness and a level outlook. He said he had not considered retirement from the game upon losing his ODI place, but had pondered how he might manage his time now that he will not have the benefit of limited-overs series to keep him sharp between Test assignments.There is the chance that fewer international matches will keep Ponting fresher and more focused for those he does play, leaving him more time to spend with a young family, while also helping to mentor the next generation in the Sheffield Shield.”It could do that [prolong my Test career], there’s two ways you can look at that,” Ponting said. “Am I better off having momentum behind me with playing more cricket, and scoring runs on a consistent basis, or am I better off getting away for a long period of time, freshening up, training hard, getting my game in good shape and playing.”I won’t know that until the start of next summer if I make it that far. I won’t have a long break now as I have a couple of Shield games to play, there’ll be a week after the Shield final, hopefully Tasmania can make the Shield final then I’ll have a week at home, then the West Indies and we’re straight into a tour game and Test matches there. Post-West Indies when there’s a big break between then and November, that’ll be a test of how I manage my time.”The thing I thought about most yesterday was how I was going to manage my time and to be well prepared to play every Test match that I play for the remainder of my career. Obviously now with no more one day international cricket that becomes a little bit more difficult for me, but there are other players around Australia at the moment that play Test match cricket only. I’ve seen it in the past with Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor, David Boon and those guys when they retired from one day cricket, they managed to play Test match cricket only and play it well.”Though he had not been told explicitly by Inverarity that he was close to being dropped ahead of the event, Ponting said he bore no ill will towards the selectors for how they had handled his ODI exit, and praised the panel for its approach this summer.”I think the selectors are doing a great job around the team at the moment,” Ponting said. “They’ve brought in some younger, fresher faces which I think was needed. They’ve had the courage I guess to try some of those guys who might not necessarily have been the best performed players around state cricket as well. As far as selection is concerned, the players are always their only selector. If you’re a batsman and you’re scoring runs you’re going to be in the side, if you’re not scoring runs then you’re a chance to be left out.”As the only man to have played in more than 100 Test match victories, Ponting’s thirst for such moments is unrivalled. He will now spend time in Shield cricket before the West Indies tour, adding to the Tasmanian dressing room what has just been lost to Australia’s.”I’ve done my best to make sure that every young player that comes into the team has a great understanding of what it means to play cricket for Australia and what levels they have to get to physically and mentally to be good international players,” Ponting said. “I think a few of the guys we had come into the set-up in the one day series this year were quite shocked and surprised about how hard we work around the team and how fit you need to be to be a part of the Australian side. Now I’m not there, some of the more experienced guys have got to start passing those traditions down to the younger blokes.”I’ve always been a traditionalist, I’ve loved every opportunity I’ve had to play cricket for Australia, whether it be one day cricket, Twenty20 or Test cricket. All I’ve got left is Test cricket and I want to make every post a winner with that, and make sure that every time I have a chance to play for Australia I’m the best prepared I can be and I enjoy every moment.”

Match facts

Gautam Gambhir has been impressive at the top of the order in this series•Getty Images

February 19, Brisbane
Start time 1320 (0320 GMT)

Big Picture

This tri-series has suddenly become interesting. Sri Lanka’s bonus-point win over Australia in Sydney on Friday means that at the halfway stage of the tournament, only three points separate the three teams. Australia now find themselves without their regular captain and needing a victory to regain the top spot on the Commonwealth Bank Series table. Their loss to Sri Lanka was comprehensive, and the batsmen need to lift after they slipped to 8 for 104 on Friday. David Warner is yet to fire in this series and a big innings from him would be a major boost for the team, while Ricky Ponting has also been disappointing, and too much has been asked of David Hussey in the lower middle order. In the field they have been sloppy, in Ponting’s own words, and they need to sharpen up in the second half of the series.India have started to find their groove in the shorter format after a miserable Test tour. Their last match was a tie with Sri Lanka but that followed two victories and notably, the senior top-order batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are yet to impose themselves on the series. That means there is plenty of room for India to improve further. And they can take encouragement from the venue: they have won their past two one-day internationals against Australia at the Gabba. However, Australia haven’t been beaten in Brisbane since that last loss to India, in March 2008.

Form guide

Australia LLWWW (Most recent first)
India TWWLW

In the spotlight

Ricky Ponting might have the captaincy back, albeit temporarily, but what he really needs is runs. So far in this series Ponting has made 2, 1, 6 and 2, and the slump is all the more baffling considering his excellent form in the Test series against India. It is the third time in his career he has had four consecutive single-figure scores in ODIs. None of those lean trots have stretched out to five innings – yet.Gautam Gambhir has scored a 92 and a 91 so far in this series but is yet to turn one of those into a hundred. It is now 14 months since Gambhir has scored a century in any format for India, but they would be more than happy with another 90 against Australia.

Team news

Michael Clarke has been ruled out of this match, meaning Ponting will lead the side again, and Mitchell Marsh is also out of action due to a back injury. Australia’s Twenty20 captain George Bailey has joined the group to help cover for the loss of Clarke, but an ODI debut for him appears unlikely unless another injury is sustained. The Victoria left-arm spinner Jon Holland remains in the squad, although Xavier Doherty should retain his spot. Ben Hilfenhaus is the one member of the fast-bowling group who is yet to play a match in the series and a couple of lean matches from Mitchell Starc could encourage the selectors to bring in Hilfenhaus for him.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Peter Forrest, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 David Hussey, 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Clint McKay, 10 Mitchell Starc/Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Xavier Doherty.Virender Sehwag missed India’s previous game due to back spasms and is unlikely to be risked again in this match. There might also be a place once again for Zaheer Khan, who had a calf problem, perhaps at the expense of Umesh Yadav, while Praveen Kumar might replace Irfan Pathan.India (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Praveen Kumar.

Pitch and conditions

The Gabba hosted a Ryobi Cup match a week ago and Queensland nearly chased down 285. There are runs at the venue, but also some assistance for the fast bowlers. The forecast is for fine weather and a top of 31C.

Stats and trivia

• India have won their past three completed ODIs at the Gabba – two against Australia and one against Zimbabwe
• Michael Hussey needs 57 runs to reach 5000 in one-day internationals

Quotes

“A lot of the things we’ve done [in the field] have looked sloppy. Usually a sign of a team is how well they’re going in the field and if you look at the way we’ve fielded in the last couple of games, it’s been a long way off the mark.”
Ricky Ponting

David Warner has won two Man of the Match awards from his first five Tests, but he still craves greater consistency as Australia’s opener in the long format. Warner’s 180 at the WACA was easily the standout performance on a pitch that proved difficult for the batsmen, and more than any other player he was responsible for Australia’s innings victory.In Hobart last month, Warner was a controversial selection as Man of the Match as the award was voted for by Channel Nine viewers, despite the fact that Doug Bracewell had bowled New Zealand to a historic victory and was regarded by most experts as clearly the best afield. There was no question about Warner’s award on this occasion, although a case could have been mounted for Ben Hilfenhaus, who took eight wickets.Two centuries from his first five Tests is a promising start, but Warner is also aware that as Test batsman, the gaps between his best and worst cannot be allowed to grow too much. So far in his Test career, Warner has posted scores of 3, 12 not out, 15, 123 not out, 37, 5, 8 and 180.”I’ve always said I’d like to be more consistent in all three forms that I’m playing,” Warner said. “You might get runs today and miss out in the next game but that’s cricket. I’ll keep working hard and backing myself. Hopefully this wasn’t a one-off thing. It was my second Test hundred. I showed that I can play maturely as well in difficult situations [in Hobart]. Hopefully I can keep continuing with my form.”Warner has come a long way from the man who burst on to the international scene as a Twenty20 specialist with a brutal 89 against South Africa three years ago, before he had even made his first-class debut. By the end of last summer, Warner had played only seven Sheffield Shield matches and found it hard to force his way into the New South Wales line-up.”The frustration was always there, with New South Wales not giving me an opportunity,” he said. “But at the end of the day there were blokes ahead of me and I had to go out and score runs in grade cricket and 2nd XI cricket and make my way into the team.”The only way to do that was weight of runs. Fortunately I did that and now I’m in a good headspace. I’m really enjoying my cricket at the moment. Being part of the Test team, we’re going fantastic at the moment and I couldn’t be any happier.”His progression has impressed the Test captain Michael Clarke, who is also one of the selectors who gave Warner a chance in the baggy green. Clarke believes Warner’s career should highlight to every young cricketer that Twenty20 is not the only option.”To see a kid who everybody thought was just a Twenty20 player 12 months ago walk out and bat exactly the same, but wearing the baggy green, playing in his whites … I’ve said to Davey for a long time now there’s no reason he can’t have success in any form of the game, with the amount of talent he’s got,” Clarke said. “It shows young kids out there today that whether it’s Twenty20 cricket, one-day cricket or Test cricket, if you can play one form, you can play all three forms. That’s really exciting for the game.”Over the past three Tests, Warner has been partnered at the top of the order by a much more understated opener, Ed Cowan. Their styles complement each other and at the WACA, that paid off as they put on 214 for the first wicket, just the second double-century opening stand for Australia since the end of the Hayden-Langer era.Warner’s 180 and Cowan’s 74 were both their best Test scores, the first time since the Trent Bridge Ashes Test of 1989 that both Australian openers had bettered their highest Test scores in the same innings. Warner said working with Cowan was a pleasure.”I think it’s great,” he said. “We’re gelling together. As people have said, we’re an odd couple. But when we’re out there, we keep each other going. We’re always talking to each other every ball. I know Ed’s game, I know where his release shots are to get off strike when difficult periods are happening.”It’s the same with me. When he thinks I’m playing too loose, he’ll come down to me and keep a check and say you’ve got to keep playing straight. I respect that. I’ll always listen to my partner. Hopefully we can keep continuing this.”

Opening batsman Alviro Petersen has been recalled to South Africa’s 13-man squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka. Uncapped Titans seamer Marchant de Lange has also been included although he is unlikely to play because of a dislocated thumb. Lonwabo Tsotsobe, JP Duminy and Paul Harris have been dropped.Petersen lost his place for last month’s two-Test series against Australia after Jacques Rudolph was recalled to open the batting with captain Graeme Smith. Rudolph did not replicate the form he had shown in the SuperSport Series – where he topped the batting charts last season and scored 592 runs in four matches in this season – and only managed a top score of 30 in four innings.While Rudolph has failed to live up to the hype, Petersen has made a strong case for a recall. He is second on the first-class batting rankings, with 441 runs at an average of 55.12 and scored 186 in the opening fixture of the season. He also made a fighting 103, on a seamer-friendly pitch, against the touring Australians in a warm-up match last month in Potchefstroom.Petersen and Smith shared in nine opening stands of at least 50 in the nine Tests they played and there is some suggestion that Petersen will open the batting once again, with Rudolph likely to move down into the middle order, increasing pressure on Ashwell Prince. In his nine Tests Petersen has scored 572 runs at 33.64 with a best of 100.De Lange is fast emerging as South Africa’s Pat Cummins, having been elevated to the Test squad after just 14 first-class matches and while still playing in his first season. He caught the eye with an explosive 5 for 56 against the Australians in Potchefstroom and has impressed with his pace. Batsmen from the Knights, who played against de Lange’s Titans earlier in the season, said he was “faster than Morne Morkel,” after facing them both.His speedy rise to the national squad appears part of a plan to assimilate him with the group. De Lange was also he was also invited to train with the South Africa team in their preparations for the second Test against Australia. Barring injury or unusual circumstances, he will likely not be promoted to the starting XI and will be asked to use the experience as a learning curve.”There is some doubt about whether he will recover in time from his thumb injury but, even if that is the case, he will learn a great deal just from being part of the national squad environment,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, said.The bowling attack will be the same as the one which played against Australia, spearheaded by Dale Steyn, who will likely share the new ball with Vernon Philander. Morne Morkel will have time to settle into a different role as first change while Imran Tahir is the sole spinner in the squad.Tahir’s debut was much anticipated but he fell short of expectations, save for a spell on the second afternoon of the Wanderers Test when he cleaned up the Australian tail. However, he has been given another opportunity to build on his domestic form.The only other player who was facing pressure for his place was wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who did not contribute with the bat against Australia with 20 runs in three innings. Boucher remains the country’s top gloveman and the selectors have decided not to include a back-up keeper in the squad. They have the door open to add players for the second and third Test, with Hudson saying the squad is likely to expand over that period.A South African Invitation XI, which includes Thami Tsolekile and Harris, will play a three-day warm-up match against the Sri Lankans in Benoni starting on Friday, with the first Test scheduled to be played in Centurion from December 15.South Africa squad Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), Marchant de Lange, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn

Douglas Ovenstone, who toured England as South Africa’s reserve wicketkeeper in 1947, has died at his home in Llandudno, Cape Town at the age of 90. He was described by Wisden as a stylish wicketkeeper, very much in the style of Godfrey Evans, the England wicketkeeper at the time.Ovenstone, who was injured at El Alamein while serving with South African forces in World War 2, was picked as understudy to John Lindsay but broke a finger between the third and fourth Tests and with that his chance of playing disappeared. Lindsay played in the first three Tests, and George Fullerton, who had been selected as a batsman who could ‘keep in an emergency, played in the last two Test matches. These were Lindsay’s only Tests while Fullerton toured England again (as a batsman) in 1951.Ovenstone played four Currie Cup matches and retired in early 1948, citing business reasons for his early retirement.A director in a family business specialising mainly in the fishing industry, he was later instrumental in opening the High Noon farm near Villiersdorp in the Western Cape, where many exotic wild animals were kept. The farm produced a number of fruits, with apples being the main fruit produced.In 20 first-class matches he scored 437 runs at 14.56, took 40 catches and made 15 stumpings.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said the key to his side’s victory against Sri Lanka in the second Test, in Dubai, was that they had four match-winning bowlers. He was full of praise for his team’s “thorough, professional performance” that earned him a fourth win in nine Tests since taking over the captaincy, following the alleged spot-fixing in England last year.”We don’t really have one key bowler we rely on because all our bowlers are match-winners,” Misbah said. “In this Test, Umar Gul took wickets in the first innings, Saeed Ajmal in the second and Junaid Khan took wickets in both innings. Abdur Rehman also chipped in and in the first Test Aizaz Cheema had several wickets.”I think it was a thorough, professional performance and I am really happy about our progress. I think our bowlers put a lot of pressure [on Sri Lanka], we got Kumar Sangakkara early. His was the key wicket because he is a world-class player, that boosted our confidence and put theirs down.”Sri Lanka had begun the fourth day on 88 for 1 with Sangakkara batting on 29. He added only one more run this morning before Abdur Rehman trapped him lbw. Saeed Ajmal spearheaded Pakistan’s victory push, taking 5 for 68 and bowling Sri Lanka out for 257 with enough time left in the day to secure victory. Pakistan had played a second specialist spinner in Abdur Rehman in this Test and he contributed four wickets.”I think we have played a lot of cricket here and normally this pitch helps the spinners. On the basis of that we decided to play with two spinners and that was the key,” Misbah said. “Ajmal is a world-class spinner and a match-winner, and so is Rehman. They did very well for us.”Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has asked his batsmen to apply themselves better following Pakistan’s nine-wicket victory with a day to spare in the Dubai Test. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 239 in their first innings, conceded a 164-run lead, and managed only 257 in their second, setting Pakistan a target of 94, which was achieved in the 25th over. Pakistan lead the three-Test series 1-0.”The batsmen should apply themselves. They must trust their own game plan and play their own game,” Dilshan said. “If we had got 350 runs in the first innings, it would have been a different game.”Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 78, was the only batsman to make a half-century in Sri Lanka’s first innings. And if not for Chanaka Welegedara’s 48 at No. 10, they would have been bowled out for fewer than 239. In the second innings, only Tharanga Paranavitana and Angelo Mathews made half-centuries, when Sri Lanka needed a monumental effort to save the Test.”As a batting group, we have to improve and come out stronger,” Dilshan said. “Bowlers, again, did a good job, but we have to keep our heads up and come out hard in the third Test.”Both captains said they were in favour of using the DRS after a few questionable decisions in the Test. In Pakistan’s first innings, Mohammad Hafeez was given out lbw to one that seemed to be headed down leg side while Azhar Ali had got a a bottom edge onto the ball that was adjudged to have trapped him in front. Sri Lanka had two iffy lbw decisions – against Sangakkara and Dilshan – hurt them in their second innings, while Angelo Mathews survived a pretty adjacent call.”I will always go for the DRS because it helps the teams and the umpires and produces good cricket,” Misbah said.The third Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka begins in Sharjah on November 3.

Match abandoned
Scorecard
The Bangalore rain continued to mar what’s been, for the most part, an exciting Champions League Twenty20. The rain had relented after a downpour the previous night but the toss, won by South Australia who chose to field, took place under overcast conditions. There was a steady drizzle not long before the scheduled start at 4pm and it intensified, leaving puddles on the outfield, ruining any possibility of play and putting the next game due to start at 8pm in jeopardy.Somerset and South Australia gained a point each due to the abandonment. Somerset now have three points with two games in hand. South Australia also have three points but are under greater pressure, given they have just one game remaining.

Former Australia greats, allrounder Alan Davidson and the late fast bowler Frederick Spofforth, have been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Joining them in 2011’s Hall of Fame class are the retired West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose and former Australia women’s captain Belinda Clark.Davidson took 186 wickets and scored 1328 runs in 44 Tests between 1953 and 1963. He was especially effective in the last five years of his career, taking 170 wickets at 19.25 in 32 Tests, only four of which were lost. He was the first man to take ten wickets and make more than 100 runs in the same game, a feat he accomplished in the famous tied Test in Brisbane against West Indies, despite a broken finger on his bowling hand. His retirement was a big loss to Australia, who won only one Test series in the first four years after his exit.”Since being selected for the first time for my country, this is an amazing recognition and I am proud of it,” Davidson said. “My dream since I was nine-years-old was to play for Australia. It was most extraordinary feeling. This is an acknowledgment of my career, so this is equally as great.”I think the great thing was that I got to play the best in the world over my career. I was fortunate to tour England three times, India and Pakistan twice, West Indies and South Africa as well. I toured all nations of the world at the time, took on the best in the world. My performances were also an acknowledgment of the players that I played against.”Davidson, Ambrose, and Clark will be inducted during the ICC annual awards in London, while Spofforth will be inducted later next year in a ceremony involving his family. Known by the nickname “The Demon”, Spofforth is widely regarded as Australia’s first true fast bowler. He claimed 94 wickets in 18 Tests at an average of less than 20 apiece, and was the first bowler to take a Test hat-trick. He claimed ten wickets in a match on four occasions, and his analysis of 14 for 90 against England at The Oval in 1882 is still the second-best performance by an Australian bowler in Test history.