Melbourne: Losing Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting said on Wednesday that he would probably be reviewing his future as skipper and could be looking for a new job if the team lost the Sydney Ashes Test.
Fox Sports quoted an honest Ponting, as saying: “It's as simple as that."
Ponting accepted his recent failures after England took an assailable 2-1 lead in the Ashes series. On Wednesday, England defeated Australia in the Melbourne Test by an innings and 157 runs.
"My series has been horrible, there's no two ways to describe that. I just haven't performed the way I needed to perform if Australia was going to win and I take full responsibility for that. The positive is I've got another game next week hopefully to have some sort of impact on the series and hopefully do the best that I can to win a Test match for Australia," Ponting said.
“I still think I've got a lot to offer the team as a batsman and as a leader and hopefully that all comes out next week," Ponting added.
Ponting has been Australia’s most successful Test captain, with 48 wins from 77 matches in charge.
Former Test skipper Allan Border told Fox Sports that Ponting was the man Australia needed to lead them through what could prove to be their most testing period almost three decades.
"I think Ponting is vital at the moment," said Border, the man who led Australia out of the dark days of the 1980s.
"He's got a good group around him and I think he's doing a very good job with his leadership and all the other attributes that he brings to the side. I think he's got to be there for a little while yet before they start talking about who's the next one in that job," Border said.
Former Australia quick Rodney Hogg said Australia's up-and-coming Test stars needed a mentor like Ponting by their side.
"If I was a young batsmen, (Usman) Khawaja or (Callum) Ferguson or whatever, if I'm going to come into the Australian side now I'd love to have Ricky Ponting down the other end batting. That's the experience you want there," Hogg told Fox Sports.
"Surely Cricket Australia have got to come out now, he's under the pump, the media and everybody is trying to sink him. Come out now and make a statement saying 'we want Ricky Ponting for the next 18 months as captain'.
"We don't care how many runs you make or what happens. Just take that pressure off him so he's there for 18 months."
Chappell also reiterated Hogg’s theory that Ponting would be a crucial ally for Australia's developing Test stars.
"I would love Ricky Ponting to be there for the next couple of years as we bring other batters through. He's a good leader," Chappell said.