Ponting backs Hauritz for Australia's Test squad

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed Nathan Hauritz to become a permanent fixture in the Test squad following the off-spinner's call-up to the one-day and T20 squads.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed Nathan Hauritz to become a permanent fixture in the Test squad following the off-spinner's call-up to the one-day and Twenty20 squads.

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The spinner was called into the Test side for the last two matches of the series against South Africa and did a good job for the national team with five wickets.

Hauritz was a member of the 2003 World Cup-winning squad, but he hasn't played a one-day international for Australia in nearly six years.

"Yeah, I think he can (be a mainstay in the Test team). He has got all the skills to be able to do that," Ponting was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

Ponting praised Hauritz's contribution in Wednesday's dramatic Test win over the Proteas at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

"He was probably a little bit disappointed with the way he bowled in the first innings of this game," he said.

"We sat down and had a good chat about the way he needed to approach things in the second innings and what we wanted to do with fields and how he wanted to bowl to different players. He did that really well for us. (Hashim) Amla's dismissal was a big one in the context of the game."

Ponting said that Nathan has a good cricketing head on his shoulders and knows how to get wickets.

"He knows a more defensive type mindset when required as well. I think he has definitely got what it takes to hold down that spinning spot," he said.