Ricky Ponting, who is celebrating his 37th birthday today, has opted to attend the training camp for the Boxing Day Test, instead of turning out for the Tasmanian Hurricanes against the Sydney Sixers in Tasmania on Wednesday.
He is comfortable that the camp will be a bonus for all batsmen, who don't have an opportunity to play in the Sheffield Shield leading into the Test against India because of the introduction of the T20 Big Bash.
Ponting has spoken with coach Mickey Arthur about the camp's aims, and suggests "it's going to be as good as we're going to get going into a Test series. It is all just about us getting a little bit more training and preparation done leading into a Test."
The former Australian skipper flies into Melbourne tomorrow to take part in the three-day batting camp.
And - after a soft dismissal for 17 off 19 balls for the Hobart Hurricanes in Perth - and equally aware that the pressure is mounting on him to score heavily to silence critics, Ponting would be keen to stop the national selectors from calling an end to his illustrious career.
Ponting, the nation's highest Test run-scorer with 12,656 runs at 52.29, loves the MCG, where he has played some of his best innings.
In 14 Tests at the stadium, he has accumulated 1216 runs at an average of 57.90, The Herald Sun reports.
Although Ponting has scored two half-centuries in his past five innings, 62 against South Africa in Johannesburg and 78 against New Zealand in Brisbane, he has not scored a century for 32 innings.
News source by:- http://cricket.yahoo.com/news/
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