tap a player on a shoulder and tell him the game is up. It is part of the deal now.

Australia will have some months to ponder on the dilemma caused by Ricky Ponting's slide. There is a decision to be made, not just about the captaincy but regarding his contribution as a player. Clearly he is near the end of the road, the years of batting at No3, the pivotal, most complex position in the order, taking their mental toll. Ponting could take the fractured finger and the long spell without Tests as a sign to make the break from the longer form of the game. But he believes that he can contribute to what he calls "the betterment of Australian cricket" by batting down the order andbecoming a mentor. Perhaps his personal success or otherwise in the World Cup might dictate his future. But such is his earning power and his singular, almost obsessive devotion to the game that surely he will find it immensely difficult to sever the ties.

Should he continue, however, it will mean the end elsewhere, for the feeling is said to be that, as Australia look to rebuild their side towards regaining power, there will be room for only one of Ponting and Mike Hussey.

Sheer cussedness gave Hussey his place in the team for this series. Out of touch and all but out of the door before the first Test, Hussey, playing for Western Australia in the final Shield match before the Test side was chosen, followed an excruciatingly drawn-out