Ponting to miss Test against Sri Lanka

Australia captain Ricky Ponting will miss the first Test match against Sri Lanka, starting in Darwin on Thursday, due to a family bereavement. He will be replaced in the 13-man squad by Victoria Bushrangers batsman Matthew Elliott.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting will miss the first Test match against Sri Lanka, starting in Darwin on Thursday, due to a family bereavement. He will be replaced in the 13-man squad by Victoria Bushrangers batsman Matthew Elliott.

Ponting will remain in Launceston to attend the funeral scheduled for later this week. He is expected to be available for the second Test match in Cairns beginning on July 9.

Elliott, whose most recent Test appearance was against the West Indies at Barbados in March 1999, has only just returned to Australia following a stint with Welsh county side, Glamorgan.