Australia have continued their policy of resting senior players, announcing in Adelaide on Monday that captain Ricky Ponting would be given a break from the triangular one-day series against Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Ponting, who made just 13 runs during Australia’s loss to Sri Lanka in Sydney on Sunday, will be replaced by batsman Brad Hodge when the two teams next meet in Adelaide on Thursday.
Australia’s national selection panel chairperson Trevor Hohns said selectors would continue to review the squad on a match-by-match basis for the rest of the season.
”We feel that Ricky Ponting needs and deserves a break,” Hohns said in a statement.
”He has played every match for Australia in all forms of the game for the past 10 months, and we think this is the right time for him to allow his body to rest.”
Hodge, who made an unbeaten 203 for Australia in their first Test against South Africa in Perth in December, became the first Australian to score a century on home soil in Twenty20 cricket during a domestic match for his home state of Victoria on Sunday.
”Brad Hodge is a logical replacement to bat at number three. He played exceptionally well during the Twenty20 match on the weekend and was a successful replacement for Damien Martyn in the middle order for the Chappell-Hadlee Series in New Zealand last month,” Hohns said.
Ponting said he was looking forward to freshening up.
”These rests have been done before and we have found that when the guys have a chance to have a break, the results indicate that it is good for them,” he said.
Opener Adam Gilchrist will assume the captaincy, with Michael Hussey acting as vice-captain.
Australia head the tri-series competition with two wins and 10 points from four matches but Sri Lanka can overhaul them on Tuesday if they beat South Africa in Adelaide.
The Sri Lankans have two wins from three matches with nine points while the Proteas are languishing on one win from three matches with four points. – Sapa-AFP