Ponting aims to set things right

There aren't many gaps on Ricky Ponting's cricket CV. He has led Australia to two World Cup triumphs, is his country's leading ODI run scorer and will soon take the Test mantle, and has captained his nation to series wins against every other Test side. But there is a glaring omission that he hopes will be rectified in the next few months.

"There's one thing on my cricketing resume that hasn't been achieved yet, and that's being captain of a winning Ashes series in England," Ponting said at the announcement of Australia's 16-man touring squad. "That's something very dear to my heart, and something I'll certainly be speaking to the players about when we arrive - making sure we get over that hurdle."

Ponting is one of six men in Australia's squad who was also part of the group that lost the urn in England in 2005. It was a bitter blow to his captaincy reputation but four years on - and with a 5-0 Ashes whitewash to his name in the meantime - he insists he is not concerned that the result could be repeated.

"We all realised last time what mistakes we made and we also realised how great a Test series that was to be a part of," Ponting said. "Even though we lost, it was probably the greatest Test series I've played in. I don't think there'll be any hangover from 2005.

"In 2005, we got off to a great start and then things slipped away from us from there. A lot of us have been there, and learned from our mistakes of last time and we're keen to rectify that."

But while six of the squad were part of the previous tour, ten of the group are looking forward to their first away Ashes series. They range from the more experienced men like Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson, to the players who are still trying to establish their place in the side, such as Andrew McDonald and Ben Hilfenhaus.

It's hardly a squad with the same threat level of the 2005 group, which featured Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist. However, Ponting was confident the selectors had given him the right mix of experience and youth after he led an even younger group to a 2-1 win in South Africa this year.

"Going to South Africa, we went there with a less experienced team," Ponting said. "The most pleasing thing for me through the South African tour was that when the tough moments came around a lot of our young guys really put their hands up and got the side home.

"You don't face many tougher tasks than playing South Africa over there. That really excites me about what we've got coming up on this Ashes tour."

Last time Australia visited England it was the opposition allrounder Andrew Flintoff who gave the tourists nightmares and ended up as the Player of the Series. Australia have been searching for a Test allrounder of their own in the years since then and the inclusion of Shane Watson in the squad, along with other versatile players like McDonald and Marcus North, has pleased Ponting.

"Whenever you're picking a team you're looking for some flexibility, you're looking at guys being able to play different roles at different times for you through the course of a game," he said. "There's no doubt through the last South African series it was a lot of those guys, allrounder types, that really did a good job for us."

But ultimately it will come down to the senior players - and Ponting is the most experienced of all - to ensure the errors of 2005 are not repeated. And if he can do that, the biggest hole in his glorious resume will be filled.