Ricky Ponting's Test spot is once again under pressure after struggling for runs in the Caribbean..
From Ed Jackson in the Port of Spain AAP April 21, 2012 6:03PM
Struggling ... Ricky Ponting's Test career once again under in doubt. Source: Andres Leighton / AP
Ricky Ponting could be playing the last game of his great career for Australia if he fails in the third Test against the West Indies next week.
Ponting, 37, goes into the Test in the mountainous island of Dominica with critics re-surfacing back in Australia despite his golden run against India a mere three months ago.
The former Test captain brought back his glory days against the hapless tourists, scoring 544 runs in four matches at an average of 108.80 and capping it off with 221 in the final Test in Adelaide.
But since that double-hundred, Ponting came crashing back to earth when a string of single-digit scores ended the three-time World Cup winner's one-day career in February.
And Ponting then failed to keep his Test revival going in the Caribbean, posting scores of four, 14 and seven in his first three knocks
before top-scoring with 41 in Australia's second innings of the rain-marred second Test in Trinidad.
That score might not be enough, though, with the third Windies Test to be Australia's last until South Africa visit next summer, giving hopefuls such as Peter Forrest, George Bailey and Usman Khawaja a chance to put pressure on selectors with a bountiful start to the next Sheffield Shield campaign.
As far as coach Mickey Arthur is concerned, however, there's no issue with Ponting and if it wasn't for the batsman's advanced years his place in the team wouldn't even be being discussed.
Arthur says using Ponting's one-day dumping to suggest his Test career is under pressure just doesn't make sense.
"We got to a point ... where we needed to build on our one-day team," Arthur told reporters.
"We needed to put some players in pressure situations because whether we like it or not one-day squads tend to build towards a cycle for World Cups.
"We've got a World Cup at home in 2015 and we want to go into that World Cup with a settled, stable unit and not a squad where our reserve players haven't played a lot of cricket."
Arthur said Ponting was in good form but he just hadn't had the rub of the green so far in the Caribbean.
"He had a run out which wasn't his fault. He got a ball which scuttled along the deck (in Barbados) and he got a pretty good delivery in the first innings here (Trinidad)," the South African said.
"I'm not perturbed by him at all."
Meanwhile, Arthur has also shown his support for openers Ed Cowan and David Warner depite neither registering 50 in the Test series.
"I'm encouraged that they're getting off to starts," he said.
"Yes, I would love them to go on and get big scores for us but I'm confident they will do that in the future."