Ponting backs Khwaja for No.3 position

SYDNEY - Injured Australian captain Ricky Ponting Thursday backed New South Wales batsman Usman Khwaja, who replaced him in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, for a one-down position.

Ponting, after being ruled out from the Sydney Test, said Usman seems to have all that it takes to succeed at the international level. And couple of hours after that, the Pakistan-born cricketer was named in Australia’s 12-man squad for the final Ashes Test.

“Everything I have seen of Usman, I have been very impressed with what he has been able to do,” Ponting was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

“His first-class record is very, very good. Technically, he looks as good as any of the young blokes we have got.”

“You need to have that really solid technique if you want to stand up at No.3 at Test level,” Ponting said.

Ponting’s praise for Usman comes at a time when the former is contemplating going down the batting order, courtesy Greg Chappell’s advice.

“I guess there has been a few doubts creep into my mind the last couple of weeks, I am not going to hide that,” Ponting said about batting at No.3.

“I definitely have to re-evaluate where I am at as a Test batsman.”

“(Chappell) mentioned something briefly about the possibility of me batting No.4 for the Brisbane Test match with someone else coming into the squad to bat at 3. That is about as far as the conversation went.”