8 Sep 2009

Ponting quits Twenty20 Internationals

6:45 am on 8 September 2009

Australian captain Ricky Ponting says his decision to quit international Twenty20 cricket will take him one step closer to having a successful Ashes tour in 2013.

It has also taken his Test deputy Michael Clarke one step closer to winning the captaincy of the Australian team in all three forms of the game.

Having led Australia to Ashes series defeats in England in 2005 and 2009, Ponting's determined to play a big role on the next Ashes tour, even at age 38.

Fresh from a 12-day break following the disappointment of his team's 2-1 Ashes failure, Ponting returned to Sydney on Monday en route back to England to play the last four games of the one-day international series against Andrew Strauss's side.