Clarke is ready to bat - Ponting

It's clear the travelling Aussie media hold no fear of their team being beaten by New Zealand in the upcoming two-test series, so captain Ricky Ponting's media session became another opportunity to coax out a few final quotes on Michael Clarke.

No Black Caps player rated a mention, as all anyone wanted to know was how "Pup" was bearing up, a day on from the "revelations" that his personal life was personal and that he was ecstatic to be in New Zealand.

"I think it would have been a great weight off his shoulders," said Ponting of his deputy fronting up to the cameras on Wednesday.

"It's something I spoke to him about when he first came back to the side. He's just loving being back here again. He's trained really well and really hard the last couple of days, even this morning he's gone down early and got some more batting done in his own time.

"Look, I know that he stated yesterday that he was very happy to be back around the group and we're all excited to have him back around as well, being the vice-captain.

"It's nice to have him back [and] look, he's absolutely been himself and we're looking forward to a big game from him."

Despite a fortnight during which his failed relationship with Lara Bingle became tabloid fodder, Ponting said he never doubted Clarke would front for the test series.

"I only had to ask him a simple question: are you right to go? He said straight away that he was ready to play cricket again," Ponting said.

"There's no doubt it had been a tough week, or couple of weeks, for him, but I know Michael well enough to know that if he wasn't ready to come back and play he wouldn't have come.

"When he first arrived we sat down in my room and had a chat about a few things and he assured me then that he was ready to go and focused on playing and focused on having a great couple of test matches here and that's all you can ask of anybody."

The likely composition of Ponting's side also got a mention, with him saying that swing bowler Ryan Harris would make his test debut if fit and batsman Marcus North would be retained.

Harris injured a foot, when it burst through his bowling boot during last week's one-day game at Eden Park and he is now troubled by a side strain, while North has been in wretched form for Western Australia in Sheffield Shield cricket.

Ponting had yet to fully inspect the Basin Reserve strip, but if it was anything like the practice pitches, then he said it would be like playing at the famous Waca ground in Perth.

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- © Fairfax NZ News

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