Australia confident Ponting will play

Ricky Ponting's team-mates are confident he will lead the team in the Boxing Day Test, despite his failure to bat in the nets at the MCG on Wednesday. Ponting put in a vigorous performance in a fielding drill, diving and showing no serious signs of the tendon injury near his elbow, but a decision on his fitness might not be made until Christmas Day.

The New South Wales opener Phillip Hughes is with the squad in case Ponting does not recover from the blow delivered by Kemar Roach at the WACA. However, Simon Katich said that with two more days of recovery time, he was not expecting Ponting to miss his first Test since 2004.

"Knowing how tough Ricky is, I'd be very surprised if he doesn't play," Katich said. "He's going to the [hyperbaric] chamber every day and giving himself every possible chance. He hasn't missed a Test now for, what, 60-odd Tests. That pretty much sums up how durable and tough he is."

Ponting has not picked up a bat since his short effort at No. 9 in the second innings in Perth, when he was clearly uncomfortable and unable to fully extend his left arm. Katich said it was not unusual for injured players to sit out of training until the day before a Test, which he was confident would not prove a problem for Ponting.

"With his experience and knowledge of batting, he's the type of guy who can have one hit and then go out and perform," Katich said. "I don't think that will be too big a hindrance for him, it's more just a case of how his elbow actually feels and whether it's unbearable swinging a bat."

The Australians are so confident of Ponting playing that they have not yet discussed the other possibility, which would involve Michael Clarke stepping in as captain and Hughes finding a place in the batting order. If the specialist opener Hughes was to play, it would create a logjam at the top with Katich and Shane Watson the in-form opening pair, although both have played much of their career in the middle order.

One option would be to send Hughes in at No. 3 in a direct swap for Ponting, but a more likely scenario involves Hughes and Katich opening and Watson moving down the list. Altering the order so close to a match could unsettle the batsmen but Michael Hussey said the team had shown flexibility in one-day cricket in recent years and most players were adaptable to different positions.

"It would probably be a little bit more challenging in a Test match, where you do like to have your structure and know where you're going to be batting," Hussey said. "But we're becoming more flexible all the time and the game is evolving all the time. I wouldn't see it to be an issue but we're pretty hopeful that he's going to be okay."

The Australians are also keeping an eye on Peter Siddle, who missed the Perth Test due to a hamstring strain but has been included in the 13-man squad for Boxing Day. Siddle was making his comeback in an FR Cup match in Sydney on Wednesday and was expected to be fully fit and available for selection for the Test against Pakistan.