Test is yet to come for Ponting

Australia's own special blend of skill, flair, application, efficiency and team spirit has not only continued unabated in the opening stages of this World Cup, it is, if anything, moving up towards a new level. They are as compelling a cricket unit as surely there has ever been and, surprisingly, this is happening in the one-day game under the auspices of Ricky Ponting, a relatively new captain.

Australian selectors have never been romantics and when they feel the time has come for change, they do not hang around. Twelve months ago, Australia did not reach the finals of their own VB One-Day Series under Steve Waugh and the mantle, for this type of cricket, was handed on at once to Ponting. Since then, he has had an almost unblemished record.

The Australians have spoken about Ponting since he first came into the reckoning as a player as someone who had an outstanding cricket brain. His reputation lost some of its glitter when England were in Australia four winters ago. During the course of a lengthy and late excursion to a nightclub during a match in Sydney, he became involved in a bout of fisticuffs towards the end of what had not been an entirely teetotal evening.

He was rightly taken to task by the authorities and, having admitted that he had a drink problem, he submitted himself to counselling. It was not a good start for a prospective captain, but he showed character in the way that he dealt with both this incident and the general problem. The Australian selectors did not lose faith in him.

Their judgement has now been shown to be unimpeachable. He is already on the way to establishing his authority, just as his illustrious predecessors had done. Over the last 15 years, the Australians have been blessed with the happy knack of producing good captains. When Allan Border's lengthy turn drew to a close, the job was given to Mark Taylor, who immediately stamped his own imprint on the side.

In time, Taylor passed the captaincy on to Steve Waugh, who history may come to regard as the best of all. He has combined a great knowledge of the game and considerable tactical and strategic skills with instinct, a clinical ruthlessness and an ability to deal successfully with his colleagues.

Now he has gone from the one-day side, but Ponting has already shown that the selectors have made a good decision: not that it was that difficult for him in this match against India, who were a shambles at Centurion.

Meanwhile, there is one more decision for the selectors to make. When the World Cup is over, the Australians are heading off for a series in the Caribbean and Waugh, who captained Australia to victory in the recent Ashes series, is still on hold for this task. The problem will be made more difficult if Ponting's captaincy takes Australia to World Cup victory. What will the selectors do then? To my mind, there is only one possible answer. For no one surely wants to blood a new Test captain in the West Indies.

With Waugh in form and keen to continue, he should stay on as Test captain. He has huge experience and will teach Ponting a great deal. Ponting, who is 28, would surely be happy to extend his learning curve. He is in the comfortable position of knowing he is Test captain elect.