Australia captain Ricky Ponting appeared untroubled by his broken finger when he batted in the nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday ahead of the fourth Ashes Test against England.
Ponting, who injured the little finger on his left hand when attempting to take a catch in the third Test in Perth, practised against a bowling machine indoors, then went outside to face a raft of different bowlers on a sunny morning in Melbourne.
With the five-match series tied 1-1, Ponting seems set to play in the crucial Boxing Day Test and vice-captain Michael Clarke said the skipper would forfeit his usual spot in the slips and field either at mid-on or mid-off should he be deemed fit to play.
