Is it time for Ponting?

Is it time for Ponting?

It's official, Ricky Ponting has been dropped from the Australian One Day team with the selectors indicating it is time to head in a new direction.

With an average in the current ODI series v India and Sri Lanka of just 3.6 and scores of 2,1,6,2 and 7, the stats don't lie and no matter his standing it is very hard for him to justify his place in the team.

The quotes from the chairman of selectors John Inverarity seem to indicate that while a return to the squad for the 375-game veteran is unlikely, it is not out of the equation. "The National Selection Panel has spoken about moving towards the 2015 World Cup," Inverarity said. "The door is never closed on anybody but it's a strong indication there.""We need to at some stage move on, and we're not ruling him out because one never knows what's around the corner, but we've certainly got the 2015 World Cup now coming into mind."

While the decision may be the end of Ponting's ODI career it is unlikely we have seen the last of him. Ponting's stated aim is to play in the next Ashes series which is only 18 months away, and with scores from his last Test of 221 and 60 and a series average of 108, he's not going anywhere.