Ponting on the heir apparent

Ricky Ponting opens up on Michael Clarke's leadership prospects in an in-depth interview with the Sunday Telegraph’s Barry Toohey.

Is Clarke a natural leader?
He is. He's done a great job as captain of the Twenty20 team, and in my absence from the one-dayers he's done a good job and led the team well. He's got a different mindset as well when he has the role, which is a good sign as a leader.

Were you offended by him publicly coming out about the captaincy? Look, we had a good chat about that, actually, and I don't think it was ever his intention to offend.