While there will be a plethora of sub-plots in this summer's Ashes series, there may be none greater - and more important - than the form of Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

While there is strong support among Cricket Australia powerbrokers for Ponting, 35, to continue to 2013, in a bid to hopefully pocket the Ashes on English soil as captain, something he has twice failed to do, Australia's drawn series against Pakistan last month has sparked speculation he could even retire as early as this summer.

That talk has gathered pace this week, although Ponting's manager, James Henderson, denied there was any truth to the story.

"There are no plans, no consideration, whatsoever," Henderson said.

"He is looking forward to this summer and certainly has aspirations to play well beyond this summer, which Cricket Australia will endorse to you by the contractual terms he has got."

Ponting had been expected to at least see out the Ashes campaign and the ensuing World Cup on the sub-continent, before deliberating over his future.

He has the full support of selection chairman Andrew Hilditch, but even admitted himself in July that if he failed to regain the Ashes this summer, his time as captain would be up - regardless of the thoughts and hopes of the board.

He has averaged 43.27 in 11 innings this year, although that slips to 26.7 when his 209 against Pakistan in Hobart is discounted. While 43.27 is a healthy figure, it's no-where near his career mark of 54.66, or the career-high of 59.99 in December 2006, when at his pomp.

Ponting's trademark shots - the pull and hook - have increasingly become a weakness, perhaps a sign that his footwork and reflexes aren't what they were.

West Indian great Sir Viv Richards, like Ponting, dominated pacemen with those bullish strokes in his prime, but they became a major weakness in his later years when fast bowlers would look to set him up with the short ball. Allan Border once said he had to work doubly hard after the age of 32, a time when the prime years generally start to fade.

After losing the Ashes in England last year, Ponting was confident he would be back in four years time. That belief, however, appeared to take a hit in wake of the unexpected 1-1 series against Pakistan on English soil.

"I honestly don't know [if I'll play in England again]," Ponting said after the loss in Leeds last month.

"It's all going to be down to how well I play. I love playing for Australia. I cherish every moment that I have to captain the side and represent my country.

"If I get back here in a couple of years time then so be it, but if I'm not good enough then there's nothing I can do about that."

While Henderson claimed Ponting was enjoying his cricket as much as ever, one former teammate recently questioned if that was really the case in a team that has now slipped to third behind India and South Africa on the world Test rankings.

Ponting is a proud man with a proud record and has worked diligently on polishing his public persona and image through the years. He would not want to potentially taint that by hanging on just for the sake of it.

If Australia was to reclaim the Ashes this summer, his winning legacy would be guaranteed - despite his resume on English soil missing a key component.

If he was to leave then, win or lose, it may just be the best move. Anyway, if Australia was to lose, and he endures a poor series with the bat, Ponting may have no choice as the selectors could be keen to rebuild in time for the 2013 campaign.

If Ponting does look for guidance, the tales of three of his predecessors are well worth looking at.

Mark Taylor also retired after a home Ashes series (1998-99), despite CA officials wanting him to take the side on the ensuing tour of the West Indies, as there were still doubts about Steve Waugh's leadership.

Taylor, again battling for form, made the right decision, as Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath did after the '06-07 Ashes, although the latter would go on and star in yet another winning World Cup campaign.

As for Waugh, he retired without a coveted Test series victory in India. Immediately after the losing and unforgettable 2001 campaign, punctuated by the series defining partnership of Rahul Dravid and V.V.S Laxman at Kolkata, Waugh, 35 at the time, declared he wanted to hang on for the 2004 "final frontier" tour.

Realistically, that was never going to happen. Waugh, effectively, was forced into retirement in early '04, but his standing in the game did not suffer. Ditto with Border's inability to conquer the West Indies.

Many still feel Waugh should have retired in front of his home crowd in Sydney after the final Ashes Test of 2002-03. Australia had already retained the urn and Waugh, amid conjecture about his value to the team, supplied a rousing century at the SCG that was to be the focus of its own DVD.

Whenever he does decide to call time, let's hope Ponting has "read the play" and provides himself with the fitting send-off he deserves.