Retiring great Ricky Ponting believes Rob Quiney at head of queue to replace him

RETIRED great Ricky Ponting believes Rob Quiney is the frontrunner to replace him for next week's first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart.

Rob Quiney

RETIRED great Ricky Ponting believes Rob Quiney is the frontrunner to replace him for next week's first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart.

Quiney, Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja and Alex Doolan are the main candidates to replace 168-Test veteran Ponting, who bowed out of international cricket in yesterday's 309-run loss to South Africa at the WACA Ground in Perth.

Quiney played the first two Tests of the series against the Proteas, but scored just nine runs from three innings, including a pair in Adelaide, before making way for a fit Shane Watson.

Hughes and Khawaja have both scored a truckload of runs in domestic cricket this season, while the uncapped Doolan cracked an unbeaten 161 for Australia A in a tour match against South Africa before the Brisbane Test.

Ponting said Quiney deserved another chance at the top level, but admitted the Victorian had some tough competition in Hughes and Khawaja to overcome.

"Rob Quiney is the obvious one ... he didn't perform the way he would have liked, but he was the first-choice batsman going into Brisbane," Ponting said.

"I know that Hughes and Khawaja are out there scoring runs almost every day they play and it's really good to see guys putting their hand up for selection.

"We know that Hughes can perform at this level and we've seen Khawaja briefly at international level and he's probably in the form of his life.

"I honestly can't see it coming from outside those three. Maybe Alex Doolan's name might get mentioned there as well.

"Whichever way they (the selectors) decide to go, you can guarantee they'll have a good replacement for me."

Ponting could be a surprise guest in the Australian dressing room in Hobart as he switches his focus to playing for the Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.

The 37-year-old joked he might warm up with his former teammates to "see if there's just one more chance", but insisted he had no regrets about walking away from the game after 17 years at the top level.

"I don't live my life thinking about regrets," he said.

"Day in and day out, I've got up and tried to make myself a better person, a better dad and a batter player.

"Of course I'll keep an eye on what's happening because I'll miss being out there ... and who knows, I might even be in Hobart for the first day of the game."