McGrath's form determines Ashes balance

The success of Glenn McGrath's international return over the next two months will have a strong impact on who bats at No. 6 in the first Ashes Test, according to Ricky Ponting. McGrath leaves this week for his first action since withdrawing from the team in January with the team balance for the England series hinging on his lanky shoulders.

If McGrath, 36, stutters through the Malaysian tri-series and the Champions Trophy Australia will seriously consider using the allrounder Shane Watson at No. 6 instead of the batting specialist Michael Clarke. With almost three months until the start of Ashes it seems to be the only position in question, although injuries and the form of McGrath after his wife's battle with cancer will also be factors.

"I don't think there's any doubt [a fifth bowling option] would help," Ponting said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "We probably felt coming back from the last Ashes series that at times we were a bowler down, or that it would have been nice to have someone else to go to with the ball through that series.

"I think that a lot of that No. 6 position could come down to how Glenn's going at the time. If we've got Glenn, Brett [Lee], probably Stuey Clark and [Shane] Warney all bowling well, then there mightn't be a greater need for another, unless it's me or Damien Martyn rolling our arm over, but hopefully that doesn't happen. It all depends on how Glenn comes along."

The Ashes lead-up will also include at least one Pura Cup game for every player - it could be more with an early exit at the Champions Trophy - and Ponting said the series would be thought about in Malaysia and India. "I don't think one-day form as such counts for a lot as far as Test form goes, but if you're out in the middle, hitting balls and scoring runs - or taking wickets and bowling the ball where you want to - it doesn't matter what form of the game you are playing," he told AAP. "You can feel like you've got your game in pretty good order."

Ponting told the Herald he still had aches and pains from the pre-season camp but said it was a huge success despite a knee injury to Stuart MacGill. "The one downside was that there might have been a couple of little niggles from it," he told the paper. "Hopefully we can all get over that. The team is a lot closer and stronger now than it's been for a long time as a result of that camp."