Ricky Ponting has revealed that it was not a hard decision for him to retire from Test cricket.

Australia's defeat to South Africa in the final Test match of the series on Monday was the 37-year-old's last game for his country.

"The decision to walk away was a pretty easy one," BBC Sport quotes him as saying.

"I'm a realist and I realise now that my best cricket is probably past me. As hard as I have tried over the last couple of years to find my form again and re-establish myself, I haven't been able to do that."

Ponting scored 13,378 runs in 168 Tests in his career.