I'd be inclined to stick with him:Ponting insists Aus to stick with Warner for 4th Test

DUBAI: Australia great Ricky Ponting has weighed in on the David Warner selection debate and thinks Australia should stick with the opener for the Old Trafford Test, despite his struggles against England veteran pacer Stuart Broad.

This Ashes series, Warner has produced 141 runs from six knocks, and his status at the top of Australia's batting order has been called into doubt when he failed twice in the most recent Test, which England won in Headingley when bowled by long-time nemesis Stuart Broad on both occasions.

Australia and Engalnd will square off in the fourth Test match of the Ashes series at Old Trafford from 19 July.

While Australian skipper Pat Cummins has previously stated that selectors would examine all possibilities when deciding on their XI for the vital fourth Test, Ponting believes Warner has done enough in the past to get another shot.

"I know there's been a lot of chat the last couple of days since the end of Headingley and it's more the fact that it's Broad that's getting him out, I think. I think if it was anybody else, the noise probably wouldn't be quite as loud, but the fact that he struggled to get through the opening spells of Broad a few times in this series again, makes it a little bit more of a worry," Ponting said the latest episode of The ICC Review.

Ponting is concerned about Warner's form, but he wants the 36-year-old to demonstrate his genuine battling spirit like he did in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and Lord's test. "And the reason I say that is because I've played against teams in the past and bowlers in the past where you just know that they've got the wood on you and they're on top of you and you just can't get away from it because if I'm Ben Stokes, even if David Warner gets through the first spell of Stuart Broad, then I'll give him a short break and I'll bring him back again," said the Australia great.

"When someone's got you out 17 times, it does become as much a mental or probably more of a mental battle than it does a technical battle. But just thinking about the series, I'd be inclined to stick with David Warner," he added.

Ponting believes that the fact that Harris and fellow reserve opener Matthew Renshaw hasn't played much first-class cricket in the recent few months makes it even more important to keep Warner as they look to improve on their 2-1 series advantage.

"With the lack of tour games for Australia, it doesn't just hinder the guys that are out of form, but it actually hinders the other guys that are trying to push for a place into the side because they're just batting in the nets every day and they're not getting any match practice either,” Ponting noted. "If you're going into the fourth Test match of an Ashes, with the Ashes on the line, do you bring a Marcus Harris or a Matt Renshaw in that simply haven't played a game of cricket for…I don't know how long since they've played a first-class game?" former Australia captains said.

"Even if you did make the change, you'd be making a pretty courageous call to bring someone in that hasn't been in the line-up. Right now I'm probably more inclined to give David another opportunity and hope that he can get through Stuart Broad and go on and make a big score," Ponting further stated.