A devastated Ricky Ponting insists he will play Test cricket for Australia again despite being forced out of the series deciding fifth Test against England.
Ponting's gamble to play with a fractured finger in the Ashes decider at the MCG means the battered digit may require surgery and will keep him out of cricket for at least a month.
It all but rules him out of the upcoming limited overs series against England while also seriously hampering his World Cup lead-in.
His absence has cleared the path for Michael Clarke to captain Australia in a Test for the first time, but Ponting is adamant this will be a temporary handover, having resolved to return to the Test team for their next assignment - likely to be in Sri Lanka in August.
The final Ashes Test has begun in Sydney.
