Ponting: 'It would be disappointing to play a second or third string side'

Ricky Ponting: 'There probably are some tough decisions that need to be made' © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has admitted that Australia have little interest in playing against a below-strength Zimbabwe. Unlikely to be competitive against Australia even with everyone available, the Zimbabweans have 15 white players currently boycotting the side in a potentially disastrous dispute with authorities.

Australia's tour next month is shaping up as a complete farce unless a resolution is found. "It would be disappointing for the player group to go there and play a second or third string side," Ponting said while promoting his charity dinners for the Children's Cancer Institute Australia. "We'll keep a close eye on it."

Asked if sub-standard opposition would be grounds for Australia to withdraw, Ponting replied: "That would be a decision that would be made by Cricket Australia. I think that will be left out of our hands. When you look ahead and think about it, there probably are some tough decisions that need to be made there."

Australia will definitely tour because the International Cricket Council decrees that security concerns are the only legitimate reason for the abandonment of any tour.

Ponting said Australia would show no mercy if it ended up playing a Zimbabwean team full of unproven youngsters. "All we can do is play the side that's put out on the park and the Australian team is not really noted for going easy on any opposition. As we saw with the Bangladesh Test matches here last year, we try to win the games and win them as well as we can. That's every Test match we play in. That will be exactly the same when we go to Zimbabwe."

The troubles in Zimbabwean cricket began when captain Heath Streak stood down because members of the selection panel had no first-class experience.

He also believed the side was being selected to satisfy a racial quota system rather than form.

The rebel players are demanding selection on merit, Streak's reinstatement as captain, changes to the selection panel and apologies for the Zimbabwean board's "transgressions". They have been given until May 8 to withdraw their requests and make themselves available for future tours. If they fail to comply they will be either suspended or dismissed, with the Australians scheduled to play their first match against Zimbabwe A on May 17.

"We've still got nearly a month before we leave to tour there," Ponting added. "I'd like to think they can get things sorted out over there, get things resolved before we tour. It is a little bit of a worry at the moment, but hopefully things will be resolved and we can go to Zimbabwe and play a full-strength team."

Streak has said Zimbabwe are heading for some of the biggest hidings in Test history if authorities refuse to back down and his country's best players are not on the field against Sri Lanka and Australia.