Unselfish Ponting puts team before personal accolades

The stakes could be no higher for the hosts, 1-0 down and one more defeat away from seeing England retain the Ashes with two matches still to play.

Ponting, who will be 36 on Sunday, has already lost the Ashes twice as captain in England but regained them with a 5-0 whitewash at home four years ago.

He insists he has spent little time thinking about the fragility or otherwise of his tenure as captain.

But he said: "It's a decision that's completely out of my hands. I'll do my best as a player to make sure I score runs, and lead the team in the best way possible – and the powers-that-be will make those decisions, I guess at the end of the series or after this Test match, whenever that may be."

Ponting can help himself and his team by returning to form with the bat at No 3, having made only nine runs in two innings – including a first-ball duck – in the innings defeat in the second Test in Adelaide.

"We're all just focused on this game. It's no good looking further ahead, and we can't afford to look further ahead," he added.

"We know we've been deficient in some areas in the first couple of games – and if we improve on those we have a great chance of winning.

"I know a lot of our success revolves around how well our batting does at the top of the order, and so far my input in the series has not been what it's needed to be for us to win games.

"Purely and simply, I need to stand up; I need to score runs, and we need to play better cricket than we have in the last two Tests."

Ponting senses nonetheless that England may be vulnerable at this venue, where they have always had a conspicuous lack of success.

He also doubts whether fast bowler James Anderson can be at his best after travelling round the world twice in a week to be at the birth of his daughter – and arriving back in Perth less than three days before start of play at the WACA.

"I think there's a great opportunity for us here," he said.

"Anderson – much as he's talking it up – we've all done those flights in the past, and it takes a couple of days to get over them.

"I honestly feel that the pitch conditions here are as foreign to English players as probably anywhere else in the world, and I hope we can exploit that this week."

Chris Tremlett looks likely to replace Stuart Broad in England's line-up in Perth. The 6ft 7ins Surrey pace bowler has been given the nod ahead of Yorkshire's Tim Bresnan with Broad out for the series with a torn stomach muscle.