Ricky Ponting hopes his Ashes bid not quite up in smoke

Ricky Ponting isn't thinking about the Ashes right now, more concerned with his immediate future after three batting failures against South Africa.

Ponting, who will turn 38 next month, has long targeted the 2013 tour to England as a chance to redeem himself for losing back-to-back Ashes series as Australia skipper. He stood down from the captaincy last year -- before he was pushed -- but has maintained he won't retire any time soon and is leaving it up to selectors to drop him if he's not good enough to earn his place as a specialist batsman.

"I haven't spoken to the selectors anything about my immediate future. And they haven't spoken to me about it, either," Ponting said in a television interview today with another ex-test captain, Mark Taylor.

"I'm sure that conversation is going to come, probably, and in the near future. But nothing has happened just yet."

Ponting has scored 13,382 runs in 168 tests, at an average above 52.2, but has been in patchy form with only 20 runs in three innings this series, including a duck in the

series-opener at Brisbane last week.

He said he'd have to score a lot of runs, and soon, to have any chance of going back to England.

"I mean, I'm a realist. I live in the real world and I know that if I'm not getting runs there's no chance at all … I might not make the summer out, so I definitely won't be in England," he said.

"But, we'll wait and see what happens at the end of this game ... hopefully getting a good win here and we'll see how we go for Perth."

Ponting's chances of getting another opportunity in the third test in Perth next week have been heightened only by the failures of Rob Quiney, who was brought in to bat at No. 3 in the absence of Shane Watson but has only scored nine runs in three innings -- including a pair of ducks in Adelaide.

... contd.

ALSO READ

IPL 2013 LIVE SCORE: Mitchell Johnson rattles Chennai Super Kings

IPL 2013 preview: Rajasthan Royals vs Pune Warriors

I feel we will make it to the play-offs: Darren Sammy

First two overs set the tone for the game, says Kris Srikkanth