Ponting expects to be No.3 in Sri Lanka

Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain, expects to bat at No.3 when the team led by Michael Clarke plays three Tests in Sri Lanka in August.

The day after Simon Katich was unceremoniously removed from the 25-man list of Cricket Australia contracted players, Ponting emerged to express the view that he would keep his place at the fall of the first wicket.

The debutant Usman Khawaja batted in Ponting's place during the final Test of the Ashes series at the SCG, but may now be looking at a middle order berth.

"I will stay at where the captain wants me to bat, the last few years I have had the luxury of batting where I want because I was the captain - but I can't do that anymore," Ponting told the radio station Triple M. "Sri Lanka I will probably stay at three and see where we go after that, but I have not heard from the captain.

"Not too much will change on the next tour, although Simon Katich received some bad news yesterday which opens the door for Phil Hughes to slot into the opening partnership there."

Though he batted there with some success early in his career, and significantly had an excellent series in Sri Lanka in the role in 1999, Ponting expressed some distaste for batting lower down the order now he has relinquished the captaincy.

"I am not averse to it, but when I started my Test career at number six I found it really difficult being a top order batsmen my whole junior days," Ponting said. "I did not know what to do with my time basically, waiting to go out to bat.

"I quite often found myself more mentally tired waiting to go out bat rather - but if the captain wants me to bat at three or six then so be it."