Too late for wholesale changes on Australia’s XI: Ricky Ponting

New Delhi: With the Ashes just two months away, Ricky Ponting believes Australia may have run out of time to make sweeping changes to their Test XI, despite ongoing concerns about the top order.

The former skipper weighed in after the Aussies’ 3-0 sweep in the Caribbean, a series that raised fresh questions over the batting lineup ahead of the 2025/26 showdown with England. While conditions in the West Indies were bowler-friendly, only two or three of Australia’s top six look truly settled.

“Everyone’s been talking about how crucial these first four Sheffield Shield games are, particularly for some of our top order batters, and I agree with that,” Ponting told SEN Tassie. “But I also feel that it’s probably got almost to the point where it’s too late to be making too many big wholesale changes to the current team going into an Ashes series.”

Ponting threw his support behind 19-year-old opener Sam Konstas, who struck 109 and 27 not out for Australia A against India A in Lucknow last week. “Konstas has obviously just done well. He made a hundred for Australia A over in India, which is exactly what he needed. So, I can see our top order being Konstas and Khawaja.”

He also backed Cameron Green’s elevation to number three, with Steve Smith at four, Travis Head at five. Australia host England in the first Test of the Ashes at Optus Stadium on November 21. (IANS)

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