Wrist complaint won't stop Ponting

Ricky Ponting's right wrist is fine and he will lead Australia in the first Test against South Africa on December 17, ending speculation over his long-term fitness. Ponting had a routine appointment on Thursday with his surgeon Greg Hoy after having a screw put in during an operation in July.

Ponting's future has been questioned this week, but he said while the problem had caused him some problems, the visit was part of his recovery program. "Any batsman coming back from a wrist operation would require ongoing management for lingering pain," he told the Australian. "I have been managing this since the start of the Indian tour and haven't missed one training session or game."

After seeing Hoy on Thursday Ponting said "all the results were good". "He advised me that there's no need for cortisone or anything like that at this stage," Ponting told AAP, "so I'll continue on as I have been."

He suffered the injury during a one-day match in Grenada and was ruled out of the one-day series against Bangladesh in August. The issue has nagged at him during the tour of India and during the two-Tests against New Zealand. "I will be captaining Australia against South Africa in the Tests," Ponting said.

In his Captain's Diary 2008 he wrote the injury "was more severe than anyone realised" when it happened. "I played a pull shot off Dwayne Bravo, and as I was running up the pitch for a single I thought: 'That feels weird. Something is up.'

"Daren Powell botched up his pick-up on the boundary and the ball went for four, and as I walked back past Watto [Shane Watson], I said flatly: 'I've done something to my wrist.' I hit seven fours in my innings, but six of them came in the first half of my knock, and at the end I was struggling to even pick my bat up."