Ponting shrugs off pressure to quit

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said Sunday he has no intention of calling time on his Test career and was looking forward to taking on bitter rivals South Africa later this year. The 37-year-old, who has already quit one-day internationals, has struggled for runs on the current Caribbean tour with scores four, 14, seven and 41 prompting some to predict that the third Test against the West Indies could be his last.

But Ponting, fired up by an impressive home series against India where he scored 544 runs in four Tests against India, at an average of 108.80, is adamant he still has a role to play.

"Even when things were really tough a few months ago, all I wanted to do was try to give myself the best chance to be able to play well again.

"I felt I got there through the summer and I feel like I'm batting really well at the moment.

AFP