Ponting to undergo surgery on fractured finger

Ricky Ponting will have surgery on his broken finger on Tuesday but he remains on track to start Australia's World Cup defence next month. The decision was made late on Monday afternoon after the physio Alex Kountouris felt an operation was the best way to help Ponting's recovery.

"Ricky had further x-rays today on his fractured finger which have shown that the bone fragment has further displaced and will not heal without surgery," Kountouris said. "He is expected to miss the one-day international series against England and recover in time for the World Cup on the subcontinent."

Ponting fractured the little finger on his left hand in Perth two weeks ago and while he played in the Melbourne Test, he was ruled out of the final match of the series at the SCG. The injury leaves his Test career in some doubt as he is 36 and Australia's next series is scheduled for Sri Lanka in August.

Despite his recent batting struggles, Ponting remains a key man in Australia's one-day side and has not lost a World Cup match in two tournaments as captain. The event begins in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh next month and Australia will be aiming for their fourth consecutive victory.