Melbourne, Dec 24 : Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke Friday said that skipper Ricky Ponting is almost certain to play in the fourth Ashes Test against England starting here Sunday.
Clarke said Ponting felt good after a net session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and it will be difficult to keep him out of action on the Boxing Day. Ponting suffered a finger fracture while catching at slips in the Perth Test, which Australia won to level the series 1-1.
"He (Ponting) said it felt pretty good after facing some balls on the machine," Clarke was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.
"Unless they cut his finger off, it is going to be very hard to keep him out."
Clarke spoke about his erratic form in the Ashes and said he is confident of a turnaround at the MCG.
"I feel like I am doing all the work, I feel like I am training hard, so hopefully there are some runs for me for Christmas."
"I certainly do not feel like I am out of form," he said.
Ponting's possible replacement, Usman Khawaja, also had good batting session after a failure against Victoria at the Sydney Cricket Ground.(IANS)
Similar
- Strauss backs ‘great fighter’ Collingwood to fire in Boxing Day Ashes Test
- MCG curator says specialist spinner will be the key
- US woman with Twitter name ‘theashes’ packing for trip Down Under
- Record 90,000 fans at MCG will make Aussies feel ‘bulletproof’: Ponting
- England ‘won’t be overwhelmed’ by record 90,000 supporters at MCG: Strauss
Moscow, May 24 - Lokomotiv Moscow forward Felipe Caicedo has said that he tries to block out racist chants at Russian football stadiums. 
New Delhi, May 24 : Minister of State for Home Affairs R. P. N. Singh Friday said it would not be right to ban the Indian Premier League (IPL) in view of fresh revelations in the spot fixing scandal, and promised to act tough against guilty. 
New Delhi, May 24 - Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), will appear on "Extraaa Innings T20" during 
Mumbai, May 15 : India's only motorcycle Grand Prix team resumes battle in France this weekend with high hopes of strong results after a top-10 start for the all-new Mahindra Grand Prix machine. 
Dijon-Prenois (France), May 13 : Indian racing driver Sailesh Bolisetti's second weekend of his 2013 Euro Race Car campaign ended on a disappointing note as he finished 18th and 17th in the two races here.