MELBOURNE - Ricky Ponting's hopes of staying on as captain to lead Australia to a pride-salvaging victory in the fifth and final Ashes Test have been dashed due to complications with his broken finger.

Ponting, whose team surrendered the Ashes meekly on Wednesday with a crushing loss in the fourth Test in Melbourne, had been ruled out after a scan had showed he would need immediate treatment, the team said on Thursday.

"I'm devastated to tell you the truth, it was the news I was dreading," Ponting said at Sydney airport. "During the game I didn't think I'd done too much more to it."

Ponting broke the little finger on his left hand attempting a catch during the third Test in Perth, but played under some discomfort in the next match in Melbourne, which England won to retain the Ashes and take a 2-1 lead going into the finale.

His long-time deputy and heir apparent, Michael Clarke, will be promoted to become Australia's 44th captain, while uncapped Usman Khawaja was named in a 12-man side on Thursday and will be expected to take the Tasmanian's spot at No 3.

"I had a good chat with (Ponting) last night. His finger was still pretty sore," coach Tim Nielsen said in Melbourne.

"I think it's just a situation where the finger won't allow him to perform at his best ... If Ponting was to play in Sydney and make it worse, then he could be out for a much longer time."

With former players and pundits calling for Ponting to step down or be sacked, the injury's timing could not be worse for the gritty 36-year-old, who had endured a dreadful series with the bat on the way to losing the urn for the third time.

Ponting had admitted after the Melbourne defeat that he had felt some discomfort playing with the finger but said he was still confident of playing the final Test.

Reuters

(China Daily 12/31/2010 page23)