Ponting needs greater say on Cricket Australia's player rotation policy

Sydney, Feb 13 (ANI): Skipper Ricky Ponting is not happy with player management of the Australian team, and believes that getting the issue right is the key to success in the big series this year, including the Ashes.

Ponting through his comments on Thursday made it obvious that he would like more say in the resting and rotational policy of the team as the side prepares for what he said would be the busiest period of his career.

The Australian skipper was not happy at being forced to rest for the second match of the series, and was rushed back early after New Zealand took a 2-0 lead, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

He suggested he needed a bigger say on Cricket Australia's policy, which is run by management and selectors.

"I think it's important that we've got guys at their freshest mentally and physically for when we really need them," Ponting said.

"It's a hard one to get right. It's probably no coincidence that over the past couple of games we've had a settled team and played our best cricket in this series. It's something we need to keep looking at, making the overall policy a bit better and tighter.

"I have some say, like I do in some selections. We all have a little bit of a say but, at the end of the day, a lot of those bigger decisions are made without me so that's just the way it is at the moment," Ponting said.

There is also a chance Clarke could be ruled out of Sunday's Twenty20 clash against the Kiwis in Sydney. Selectors had planned to rest Ponting from that game as the Australian Test squad leaves for South Africa the following day.

While Ponting said he was "feeling OK physically," the 34-year-old refused to indicate whether he would like to sit out that match after playing non-stop since the Indian Test series last September, save for the one rested game. (ANI)