Hodge may bat at No. 4

Ricky Ponting will consider introducing Brad Hodge to Test cricket at No. 4 in a move that would push Michael Clarke down a place against West Indies on Thursday. Clarke has struggled to make his mark since replacing Damien Martyn after the Ashes loss and Ponting said he would consult with both players and the selectors before making a decision.

"When Michael went up there we saw him as being a long-term holder of that spot," Ponting said in The Courier-Mail. "He has been given a few games there now. Whether it is the right thing to keep him there or move him is something we'll have to work out."

Clarke made 39 and 5 in the Super Test last month and 5 and 14 not out against West Indies in Brisbane, and past players, including Steve and Mark Waugh, believe technical changes are necessary for him to seal the transition. While Clarke is trying to find his perfect position, the paper reported Hodge as starting at No. 4 in 152 of his 297 first-class innings. "It is probably my decision but I will speak to the selectors and some of the senior players," Ponting said. "Michael and Brad will also have to be consulted."

Andrew Symonds is also a middle-order candidate and Ponting, who was launching his Ashes tour diary in Hobart yesterday, said the allrounder had "shown his character" to bounce back from the suspension for drinking before Australia's loss to Bangladesh in Cardiff last winter. "I did what I had to do as captain of the team on that day," Ponting, who wrote about his anger at Symonds, said. "We had to handle it as quickly as we could to get it sorted out.

"I had to get my opinions across to Andrew and the other players and talk it through. I felt he let myself and all the other players down. 'Simmo' totally knew where I was coming from but, to his credit, he bounced back and played unbelievable cricket from that moment on."