MELBOURNE (Reuters)
In-form batsman Ricky Ponting has a foot injury, but he is expected to take his place in Australia's team departing next week to tour South Africa.

In a statement the ACB said that Ponting, a former Australia vice-captain, has a stress fracture in his left foot. The injury was revealed in a recent scan and Ponting will be rested from Tasmania's one-day match against New South Wales on Sunday.

"The soreness in my foot had been niggling away for some time and I was waiting for it to go away," Ponting said. "When it didn't, I decided to get my foot checked out and that revealed the stress fracture."

"I think I've shown during the VB series that my mobility isn't really affected at all, and if the situation is managed properly it's not something that should prevent me from playing."

Ponting was Australia's leading run-scorer in the pool matches of the triangular series against New Zealand and South Africa, scoring 254 runs at an average of 31.75.

He was last week named in Australia's 15-man squad for the three-Test tour of South Africa. The first Test starts at Johannesburg on February 22.

Ponting has scored nine Test centuries in 53 matches, averaging 43.78, but he managed only 115 runs at 28.75 in the recent series against South Africa in Australia, which the home team won 3-0.

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