12 Jan 2011

Former SA captain says Ponting should stay but not as skipper

11:30 am on 12 January 2011

Ricky Ponting should give up the Australian cricket captaincy and concentrate on his batting according to former South African skipper Kepler Wessels.

Ponting last week became the first Australian captain to lose three Ashes series, leading to calls for him to quit or be sacked.

Wessels, who also played 24 Tests for Australia, says if Ponting can focus on his batting then relinquishing the captaincy might be the best thing for him.

However he says Ponting's place in the side is not under threat, with no real contenders to his spot putting their hands up.

Australia's decline, losing to England at home for the first time since 1986-87 with three of the defeats coming by margins of an innings, followed a lengthy period at the summit of world cricket.