Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has been rested from Sunday's dead-rubber one-day international against Sri Lanka to help him prepare for the upcoming Ashes series.
And will instead travel to Hobart to prepare for Tasmania's Sheffield Shield game against Queensland in order to fit in as much first-class cricket as possible ahead of the first Ashes Test against England on November 25.
"As the series against Sri Lanka has been decided the National Selection Panel has an ideal opportunity to provide Ricky with two solid weeks of red-ball cricket," said Greg Chappell, who sits on the panel. "This allows him what we believe to be the best preparation to lead the Australian Test match team in Brisbane for the first Ashes Test match."
Instead of travelling to Brisbane for Sunday's third and final ODI at the Gabba, Ponting, who also missed Wednesday night's one-wicket loss at the MCG, will now head to Tasmania to prepare for the Tigers Sheffield Shield match against Queensland.
The Shield clash at Bellerive Oval does not start until Wednesday but Australia's selectors have opted to give him plenty of time to prepare for the crucial Ashes series, which start with the first Test at the Gabba on November 25.
"As the series against Sri Lanka has been decided the (selectors have) an ideal opportunity to provide Ricky with two solid weeks of red-ball cricket," said full-time selector Greg Chappell.
"We have to start winning games, it's really important to have that attitude and feeling of winning games around the dressing room and we haven't done that for a while now. It's about time we got back to playing the brand of cricket we know we are capable of and if we do that I am sure we will win some games."
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