Ponting confident of playing in Melbourne

Perth:

Australian captain Ricky Ponting is confident of being fit for the crucial fourth Ashes Test at the MCG in Melbourne starting on December 26, despite a fractured finger on his left hand.

Ponting did not take the field as his side wrapped up a comprehensive 267-run victory in the third Test at the WACA Ground on Sunday to level the series.

He hurt the finger the previous evening, when he tried to snare a catch in the slips from the bowling of Mitchell Johnson.

Ponting was taken to a local hospital on Saturday evening, where x-rays revealed a small fracture in his left little finger.

Speaking after the match, an upbeat Ponting said he expected to play in Melbourne.

"Obviously I'm going to have as much treatment and look after it as well as I can the next few days really," he said.

"I won't be able to bat the next few days but we've got a few days off anyway. I'm just going to do what I can to rest it as much as possible but make sure I get my preparation done for the next Test as well.

"What sort of a percentage am I? I think I'm a really good chance of playing. It's only a small fracture.

"It's a bit sore and angry at the moment but I'll be right."

Ponting faces not only fitness, but also form issues, having made just 83 runs at 16.60 in the series.

He is also conscious of the fitness dramas surrounding his availability for last year's Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, when he was under an injury cloud with an elbow problem.

Ponting conceded he probably should not have played in 2009, and said he would not put his personal goals ahead of the team for such a vital match if the finger did not respond well to treatment.

"I'll have to make that decision closer to the game, probably the morning of the game is when I make a decision like that," he said.

"But I honestly think with being a little finger on my left hand, it's probably not as significant as my top elbow was last year.

"There was no doubt that I was hindered last year and probably to tell you the truth, I probably learned a fair bit from that, so I'm not going to be silly and put myself ahead of the team, especially in such an important game.

"If I don't think I can function well then I won't play but if I feel that I can function and play somewhere near... I won't say how I've been playing, better than I have been playing ... then I'll play the game."

The decision not to field on the fourth day was made just before play, with Ponting's deputy, Michael Clarke, taking on the captaincy duties.