Ponting accepts award, rules out Ashes comeback

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting picked up his domestic cricketer of the year award today, and quickly batted away speculation about a return to the beleaguered Test team for the Ashes.

The 38-year-old Ponting, who retired from international cricket last November, led the Sheffield Shield with 875 runs at an average of 87.50, including an unbeaten 200 in a recent match. Tasmania will host the first-class final beginning Friday against Queensland.
"I haven't had the phone call yet," Ponting joked.

"International cricket has long passed me by and I've just been really excited about giving back to Tasmanian cricket whatever I could for this season.

"The decision you make to retire, when you do, is a very big one. I know I put a lot of time and thought into making the decision that I made for all the right reasons."

Ponting signed a two-month contract with English county Surrey and will be in England when Australia builds up for the Ashes series later this year. He will also play for Mumbai in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League this year.

Ponting scored 13,378 runs in 168 tests at an average of 51.85. He is third on the all-time test run-scorers' list behind Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

Meanwhile, Mike Hussey confirmed today that he was happily retired, saying he was flattered by comments from Australia coach Mickey Arthur that he'd welcome him back into the Test team.

Hussey was still at the top of his game when he retired in January after 79 Tests.

"It's extremely flattering," Hussey said. "But I've moved on and I really don't want to be back in that pressure-cooker environment, particularly leading into the Ashes. It's going to be an extremely stressful time for all the boys."

Both Hussey and Ponting have been mentioned as possible saviors for the Test team, which was rocked by the suspensions of Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson for the third test in India and fell behind 3-0 in the four-match series.

The players failed to provide team management with a critique of their performances in the second test in an episode which most critics compared with schoolchildren not completing their homework assignments.

Watson, the team's vice-captain, returned to Australia for the birth of his first child after the suspension was announced. But he has since flown back to India and is likely to play in the fourth test beginning Friday in New Delhi.

Ponting said he had not watched much of Australia's struggles in India.

"I loved the game so much and loved representing my country so much that I thought if I sat back and watched a lot of that, I'd miss it even more," he told Australian Associated Press.

He admitted the results had been disappointing. "I think everyone knew going there that it was going to be a tough tour for Australia," he said.

"The conditions they've been confronted with over there they just don't see in our country and you just don't see in most other countries around the world that you play in."