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So acute is the pain of a second Ashes defeat that Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, has declared himself amenable to the idea of a fifth tour of England in 2013. Ponting, who on Sunday became the first Australian captain since Billy Murdoch to twice lead Australia to Ashes series defeats in England, said the prospect of atoning for losses in 2005 and 2009 could convince him to return for one final campaign at the age of 38.

“We’ll see how I’m going in four years,” Ponting said. “Hopefully I’ll have another chance to play another Ashes series back in Australia, but it would be nice, with everything I’ve done in my career and the games I’ve played, to have some good memories from this ground. I might have to come back next time and find some.

“With a loss, I’m more determined than ever to be a better player and leader than I am at the moment. I don’t really know what to expect when I get back. Hopefully most of the questions will be from journalists, not from people above. But we’ll see. I’ve felt I’ve given myself the best opportunity and done a good job as a captain and leader in this series. Leaders are always looked upon on their results on their team. Unfortunately for me and the rest of the guys we haven’t got the results we would have liked. Ultimately it is my responsibility to get the best out of the guys and to win series. I felt I ticked most of those boxed, other than making a few more runs myself.”

Ponting cut a forlorn figure at Sunday’s post-match press conference, having watched his side squander a shot at a world record run-chase with two run-outs – one of which cost him his wicket – in the space of six deliveries. First innings collapses at Lord’s, Edgbaston and The Oval, coupled with the failure to extract England’s final wicket at Cardiff, contributed heavily to Australia’s 2-1 series defeat; the same margin by which they lost in 2005.

Ponting said the sting of defeat at The Oval on Sunday was every bit as painful as that he felt at the same ground four years ago. “I don’t think you can get any more disappointed than I am right now,” he said. “Looking back at 2005, I was feeling exactly the same back then. We all spoke about it and built the series up so much…but we’ve come up short. I’m obviously hurting, the rest of the guys are hurting as well.

“For me, the leader, the captain, the most experienced player, it’s difficult for me to accept. It’s just as difficult for the rest of the guys. We couldn’t have done anything else, we have given ourselves the best opportunity. Just a couple of really bad sessions during the course of five Tests have cost us the series. When we were been good we were exceptional, when we were bad we were very poor. We need to become more consistent in our performances across the board.”

Australia have won just six of their past 16 Tests, during which they have suffered series defeats to India (away), South Africa (home) and now England. Sunday’s loss at The Oval has ensured their Test ranking has plummeted from first to fourth, marking the first time since 2003 the Australians have not held the top spot.

Despite their slide, Ponting insisted his current squad should be persisted with for future series. “I think there are a lot of Test wins in this series of players,” he said. “In a couple of years there are going to be a couple of guys coming in and going out with a couple of us getting a bit long in the tooth. They will win a lot of Test matches for Australia in the future. They will learn from their mistakes in this series.”

Andrew Strauss, Ponting’s conqueror in 2009, warned that Australia’s youthful squad would learn from the Ashes defeat and emerge a motivated unit for the return clash in Australia next year.

“The fact that they didn’t have the aura is because they have a lot of guys at the start of their career,” Strauss said. “If you think about it logically, they’re going to get better and better. Those guys are going to have experienced a huge amount in this series and they’re probably going to be more determined and hungry to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The last thing you’d ever say is that Australian cricket is in a bad place, because it’s far from it. They will continue getting better over the coming years.”

Australia has named Victorian leftarmer Dirk Nannes in its Twenty20 squad to play England only months after he represented the Netherlands at the world T20 tournament. The inclusion of 33-year-old Nannes and resting of captain Ricky Ponting are the main surprises in the national squads named on Tuesday for the seven one-day international matches and two T20 matches which follow the current Ashes series in England.
The Sydney Morning Herald quoted an AAP report, as saying that notable omissions from the T20 squad include Mike Hussey, Nathan Bracken and Peter Siddle all of whom are still in the ODI squad. Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch added a new name to the mix by employing Tasmanian wicketkeeper Tim Paine as Brad Haddins understudy for the ODI series.
Speaking about Nannes, Hilditch said his panel was looking at using a greater number of specialists ahead of next years World T20 following a disappointing result when eliminated early in this years event. We are using the two matches against England to look at different make ups to the squad and include players who we consider T20 specialists in preparation for the ICC World T20 next year, he said. We are keen to look at different players as specialist T20 players in these two matches and in this instance we have selected Dirk Nannes following his strong domestic performances in recent seasons to have a look at him in the Australian set up.
Pontings resting following the end of the Ashes series was described by Hilditch as the last chance to give him a break before 2010.

Australia stand to lose substantially more than their aura over the next month. An Ashes series defeat would precipitate a stunning fall from grace by relegating Ricky Ponting’s men to fourth place on the ICC Test ladder behind South Africa, Sri Lanka and India. A drawn series will place them second after Graeme Smith’s men.

Either rain or England could seal Australia’s demise in the coming weeks. The tourists require victory at both Headingley and The Oval to retain their No. 1 Test ranking, but a bleak weather forecast for Yorkshire could greatly reduce their chances of forcing a result in the fourth Test.

Not since 2003, when South Africa held the ICC Test mace for a four-month period, have Australia occupied a place anywhere other than the pinnacle of Test cricket. South Africa made clear their intentions to recapture the No. 1 ranking when they defeated Australia in a Test series for the first time in 16 years last summer, but Australia’s stirring riposte on South African soil provided them with a degree of breathing room.

Australia have won just five of their past 14 Tests, three of which were against the South Africans, and their inability to register a victory in the first three Tests of the Ashes series has drawn Smith’s side to within two points of the top ranking. Mickey Arthur, who so very nearly engineered Australia’s overthrow earlier this year, was adamant his side was worthy of recognition as the world’s premier Test side, even if rain proves the deciding factor.

“I have been following the rankings a little bit, and I don’t think we would be out of place at all (with the No. 1 ranking) if that was to happen,” Arthur told Cricinfo. “We have played some very solid cricket over the past 18 months. We defeated England, Australia and Pakistan away, and we are certainly proud of that. But whatever happens, I think what is clear is that there is very little now between us, Australia, India and even England. That’s healthy for the game.”

Arthur has been underwhelmed by Australia’s performances over the course of the Ashes, having previously predicted them to comfortably account for England. The South African coach queried the move to overlook the dependable Stuart Clark for the first three Tests of the series, and expressed surprise at Australia’s general inability to combat pressurised situations.

Like Andrew Strauss, Arthur feels the Australians have lost their aura, but warned England against underestimating them in the final two Tests of the Ashes series.

“I do agree with Andrew in that the Australians have looked susceptible when placed under pressure,” Arthur said. “With Australian sides of old, you could try and place all the pressure in the world on them and they would come through it unscathed more often than not. This younger side has shown the odd crack in those situations, and we saw that when we won many of the big moments when we played them in Australia. The aura has gone a little bit.

“Their bowling attack has disappointed me. I’m not surprised that they have tried to stick with the fast bowlers who did the job in South Africa, but I was at the move not to play Clark, especially with (Mitchell) Johnson and (Peter) Siddle leaking runs. They have needed someone to do that holding job, and Watson looks a little undercooked to me to be doing that. It wouldn’t surprise me if they had a big think about it going into the last few Tests.”

In other ranking developments, Michael Clarke has risen two places to third spot among Test batsmen following consecutive Ashes centuries, while Ricky Ponting has slid to ninth.

The only change in the Test bowling top-ten was Stuart Clark’s slip to No. 5, with Makahya Ntini taking the fourth spot. Mitchell Johnson, despite his struggles in England, remains the third ranked Test bowler, and second in the all-rounder category.

Ricky Ponting is on the verge of becoming Australia’s highest scorer in Test cricket but insists he has “bigger fish to fry” as he looks to level the Ashes series against England at Edgbaston.

Ponting needs only 25 runs to overhaul Allan Border’s record tally of 11,174 runs, and averages 56.31 for his country since making his debut against Sri Lanka in Perth during the 1995-96 series.

Ponting, 34, said: “I’ve known about Allan Border’s record since the start of the series, especially with it coming up on the scoreboard in the first Test that I had got past 11,000 runs.”

He added: “I’ve had a rough idea. I must admit I haven’t thought about it or focused on it at all. I’ve got bigger fish to fry than than that right at the moment.

“Hopefully the record comes. It will be nice to get it out of the way during the first innings of this game and put that behind us.

“Twenty five runs is not what I am after in this game. I’m after a big score. I haven’t thought about it since the end of the Lord’s Test really.

“We are looking to get level in this series.”

Ponting expects a positive response from his side after a poor batting display in the first innings at Lord’s handed England an initiative they did not relinquish.

He said: “Australians always relish this sort of battle and that was the pleasing thing that came out of the second half of the Lord’s Test.

“We were outplayed in the first few days but the way we fought the last two days says a lot about the group and our cricket.”

Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the Ashes after undergoing surgery on his long-standing Achilles tendon injury. Pietersen was reviewed on Wednesday morning by a leading specialist, and the decision was made to undergo surgery which means he will miss up to six weeks.

 The news comes as a huge blow to England’s morale and momentum after a week in which they finally ended a 75-year gremlin in beating Australia at Lord’s, and so went 1-0 up in an Ashes series for the first time since 1997. Pietersen’s contribution to the match was muted, with twin scores of 32 and 44, but it nevertheless took his career tally against Australia to a fearsome 1116 runs in 12 Tests, at an average of 50.72.

 England, however, will now have to make do without that prowess. ECB Chief Medical Officer, Nick Peirce, said: “Following a consultation, involving scans and testing, with the world’s leading Achilles specialist, Kevin Pietersen today underwent surgery on his right Achilles tendon.

 “The operation involved a small incision and trimming of the blood vessels and nerves around the inflamed tendon and appears, at this early stage, to have been routine. Kevin will look to undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation programme to ensure there is no risk of recurrence. This is expected to be approximately six weeks but will be taken at an appropriate pace following constant review.

 “Despite conventional conservative treatments to the tendon with trial periods of rest and rehabilitation, Kevin continued to be in significant discomfort and is currently unable to run or even walk comfortably. He had a strong desire to get through the Ashes series but despite this he has recently been unable to achieve a maximum level of performance.

 “A number of short-term measures were considered but having been reviewed by the specialist, who flew into London from Sweden specifically, it was felt that anything else would put the tendon at risk and jeopardise his long-term recovery.”

 Pietersen said: “As an England cricketer the Ashes are the pinnacle of the game so I’m absolutely devastated to be missing the rest of this series.

 “Up until now the Achilles injury has been manageable but it recently reached the point where we needed to look at other options in terms of treatment. I hate missing matches for England and especially during an Ashes summer but now that the decision has been made to undergo surgery I’m confident I can return to the England team injury-free following a course of rehabilitation.

 “I was pleased with the previous course of treatment as it allowed me to take part in this Ashes series but unfortunately the injury has recently deteriorated. To leave a winning dressing room at this time is heart breaking but it wouldn’t be fair to the team or myself to continue given the severity of the injury. I’ll be supporting the team closely and wish them the best of luck as they look to build on the brilliant win at Lord’s and reclaim the Ashes.”

 In Pietersen’s absence, England are likely to offer a recall to Ian Bell, who was dropped in February after a run of low scores, but who has been in fine form for Warwickshire this season, with 640 runs at 80.00 before today, when he made 7 against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

 “I am desperate to play,” said Bell. “Having faced the Aussies before I know what to expect from them, and once you have appeared at Test level you want to carry on playing against the best players in the world.”

 The Australian camp maintained the line of the coach Tim Nielsen, who said on Tuesday he was not concerned by what was happening in England’s squad. Shane Watson, the allrounder, said losing a key player like Pietersen “makes it very difficult”.

Brett Lee has been ruled out of the first two Tests of the Ashes series with a low-grade abdominal tear and is no guarantee to play thereafter. As revealed by 22yardscricket, the Australian fast bowler experienced pain down his left side following last week’s tour game against England  in Worcester, and will be sidelined for the Cardiff and Lord’s Tests at the very least.
Lee was absent from Australia’s training session at Sophia Gardens on Monday after being sent to London for scans, which revealed a small tear in an abdominal muscle. His absence has thrown Australia’s planning into disarray ahead of the first Test, which begins on Wednesday, and will deny the tourists the services of their most decorated bowler.
“There probably is a bit more disappointment that it is an Ashes Test,” Lee said. “I’m extremely disappointed. I’m gutted that I won’t be there for that first Test match. But I’ll find a way to bounce back. I’ve gotten back from five ankle surgeries so I’m sure one little muscle strain won’t keep me out for too long.
“I still see myself hopefully playing a major role for Australia through the end part of the series, whether that’s the second, third, fourth or fifth Test match, depending on how things go. I’m very disappointed but it’s not the end of the world. I’ve got a couple of weeks now to get it right. I’ll be hopefully running in a couple of days if [the physio Alex Kountouris] lets me. I’ll be working on my fitness … and hopefully I’ll be back shortly.”
Lee was comfortably Australia’s best bowler in the tour match in Worcester, claiming 6 for 76 in the first innings and displaying a mastery of reverse-swing, but his 35 overs have come at an immense cost.
Prior to the injury, Lee seemed certain to partner Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle in Australia’s pace attack in Cardiff, with Stuart Clark and Nathan Hauritz duelling for the final bowling position. Precisely how the Australians will compensate for his absence remains uncertain, but Lee insisted the lessons from South Africa – in which Australia swept to a 2-1 series victory with a relatively untried pace line-up – would serve them well in the Ashes.
“I was going pretty much as hard as I possibly could [in Worcester],” Lee said. “I suppose I had to prove to myself that I can do it again. I never doubted in my own mind but it was more me going out there and showing that I can get close to the 100 mile an hour mark again and take wickets, which I’ve done. I’m proud about that and obviously I have sustained a small muscle tear which has ruled me out of the first Test match. Yes, I’m disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world.
“It gives somebody else in our team an opportunity. We’ve got a very strong bowling attack here. The guys did the job in South Africa while I wasn’t there. We’ve got a great bunch of guys, guys who are willing to go out there and do the hard work. I’ve got the utmost confidence in the guys that they can do the job out there.”
Lee, Australia’s most senior bowler with 310 wickets from 76 Tests, only recently returned to action after undergoing foot and ankle surgery following the Boxing Day Test against South Africa. The tour matches against Sussex and England Lions were his first outings outside of Twenty20 competition this year, and his display in Worcester last week had prompted many to feel that he was nearing peak form.
Kountouris said Lee could have faced 10 weeks on the sidelines had the injury not been detected so early. “We’re pretty thankful it’s not the more severe side of things,” Kountouris said. “It is a relatively good outcome. We got it pretty early. Brett’s pretty sensitive with his body and knows when things aren’t quite right. We got it nice and early I think.”
Kevin Pietersen resisted the temptation of indulging in a spot of pre-Ashes schadenfreude by expressing sadness for Lee. “It’s a huge, huge loss for Australia,” Pietersen said. “Who knows with the Australian team? It could be cat and mouse… [but] it’s sad for [Lee] if it’s true. We keep in touch and are pretty good mates.
“He’s a fantastic competitor and an amazing bowler. We’ve all seen how he’s bowled in the last couple of games. He’s a huge, huge, huge player for Australia. There’s his experience in the dressing room and also the intimidation he has on batsmen around the world, because he’s the fastest bowler in the world.”
Michael Clarke, Lee’s Australian team-mate, expressed sympathy for his colleague. “He’s worked really hard over the last 12 months to get back,” he said. “I only found out this morning that he was having the scans, so it came as a bit of a surprise to me. The most important thing is to get Brett as fit as possible.”

After some more terrible umpiring decisions, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin have kept Australia in the second Test and the Ashes series with an unbeaten 185-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but they and the Australian tail will have to bat out the entire last day… or maybe make another 209 runs for a record-breaking victory.

The day’s play started with an England declaration overnight on six for 311, to leave Australia 522 runs to make in the fourth innings, and with Simon Katich (6) hitting a typically uppish shot to Kevin Pietersen in the gully off an Andrew Flintoff delivery that was shown on replay to have been an uncalled no ball, it looked like Australia’s poor run of umpiring and bad luck was going to continue.

The headlines for the day looked like being centred around the next dismissal, which was started by Phillip Hughes (17) edging Flintoff to Andrew Strauss’s bootlaces where he claimed a catch off the grass stalks. The umpires convened, central umpire Rudi Koertzen asked square leg umpire Billy Doctrove whether the ball had bounced, and the umpires mystifyingly did not take the option of going to the video umpire.

The video evidence showed more than enough evidence to suggest the ball hit the ground. However, Hughes was given his marching orders.

As if that wasn’t poor enough, Michael Hussey (27) was then given out caught at slip by Paul Collingwood from a Graeme Swann delivery that hit rough outside off stump and deviated strongly. Unfortunately, Hussey had not hit it, but Doctrove’s finger went up regardless, much to Hussey’s amazement.

The dismissals of Ricky Ponting (38) inside edging a ball from Stuart Broad that kept low and Marcus North (6) also inside edging an arm ball from Swann were more pedestrian, but the day was saved by Clarke (125 not out) and Haddin (80 not out) who batted together more more than two hours.

Day five will be a big task for the Australians but if the English bowlers can produce the sort of spells they were churning out in the first innings and at times during day four, they should wrap up the innings before any talk of Australia setting a new world record for Test fourth-inning comebacks.

Former England coach Duncan Fletcher has detonationed Ricky Ponting for doubting the honesty of Andrew Strauss in the drawn Test at Cardiff, saying the Australian captain himself disobeyed the spirit of cricket during the 2005 Ashes series.

He said England captain Strauss would have been entertained at Ponting’s criticism of England’s time-wasting tactics, sending a physiotherapist out with gloves in the tense final minutes.

“We’re left with the bizarre situation of being told off by an Australian captain for misbehaving cricket’s spirit – a notion he seems to only imprecisely understand himself,” Fletcher wrote in his column in the Guardian Tuesday.

“If any side in the world doesn’t play within the spirit of the game, it’s Ponting’s Australians.

“Yet here he is sitting in judgment on England because he’s upset that his bowlers failed to complete the job. Ponting getting frustrated – does that remind you of anything?”

Fletcher, maltreatmented by Ponting in the 2005 Ashes series for the use of substitute fieldsman Gary Pratt, said England would have been delighted to get under Ponting’s skin in the first Test.

“Ponting has to be careful. Someone needs to sit down and ask him what he understands by the spirit of the game. The way he plays is definitely not in the spirit,” said Fletcher, who was England coach during their Ashes victory in 2005.

Ponting let fly with a furious outburst at Fletcher in 2005 when he was run out by England substitute fielder Pratt during Australia’s fourth Test loss at Trent Bridge. Fletcher said Ponting’s frustration was starting to overflow as it did back then.

“Can the Australians really argue that England’s tactics are worse than the way Ponting places pressure on the umpires and makes them look bad in front of a huge crowd and TV audience?” Fletcher said.

“England will be delighted they left Cardiff with a draw – and no doubt amused they head for Lord’s with a lecture about the spirit of the game from Ricky Ponting, of all people, still ringing in their ears.”

Opener Simon Katich has credited his maiden Ashes century to former , who he said, gave him the time and opportunity to come up with an impressive batting display.

Katich’s century, which helped him erase bitter memories of 2005, came on the second day of the first Ashes Test against England before he was plumb off James Anderson, when Australia was on run to chase the first innings target of 435.

 The 33-year-old left hander said he owe a lot to Simpson, who he believes, has made him a more confident player with the support and time the former skipper handed him.

 ”Coming into the series was huge for me — you can’t hide from the past, and there’s nowhere to hide in Test cricket,” Katich said. ”The last time around I wasn’t playing very well and I struggled to hit the ball straight. ”I owe a huge amount to Bob Simpson, who gave me the time of day when I got dropped four years ago and was wondering if I would get back. ”His help and support has been enormous. I’m always going to be grateful for that. His help, technically, turned me into a more confident player,” the opener was quoted as saying by ‘The Australian’.

A veteran of 33 Tests and 45 ODIs, Katich savoured the sweetest moment of his career when he reached triple figures by hooking Andrew Flintoff for a single to fine leg. The Yorkshire batsman has also hit six centuries in 16 Tests, after he won back his baggy green cap in the West Indies last year.

 ”Having played the last 12 months on the trot, I’ve gained confidence from every Test I’ve managed to string together,” he said. ”Batting at the top of the order has probably helped me — that’s where I’ve played most of my first-class career. ”When I did get my chance I jumped at it, because that’s where I’ve been most comfortable. In the past 12 months I have felt I’ve got a role to play in this team, given that we’ve lost so many experienced players in the last three or four years, a lot of greats of Australian cricket. ”As an experienced player with a lot of young guys coming into the team, I realise I’ve got a fair bit to offer,” the batsman added.

“The last thing Test cricket needs is a boring Ashes series. The longer version of the game is already under threat. The International Cricket Council is talking about four-day Test matches – and the Twenty20 version of the game is taking over everywhere. This Ashes series needs to provide the spark to keep Test cricket alive,” Wessels said.

Wessels feel scheduling Ashes close on the heels of a premium event like Twenty20 at the same venue was another reason for the “low-key” England-Australia series.

“I can’t really remember when the build-up to an Ashes series has been as low-key as this one. Maybe it is because the World Cup Twenty20 finished so recently. It may not be such a good idea to schedule a Test blue ribbon event straight after a high-profile tournament in the same country,” he wrote on the Weekend Post.

The former left-handed batsman said the sell-out crowd at Cardiff was perhaps because the ground was staging its maiden Test.

“The other reason could be that both England and Australia have as yet failed to capture the imagination of the public. The crowd attendance for the first Ashes Test at Cardiff, currently under way, was always going to be good.

“It is the first Test match at this ground – and the initial Test in an Ashes series – so it was always going to be a sell-out. But so far the cricket has been very mundane,” Wessels said.

He said something dramatic was needed to raise the standard of the game for the remainder of the series.

“It did in 2005, with very different personalities involved. Hopefully the current players will step up to the plate and provide the excitement that may turn some of them into legends of the Ashes. The two captains, Ponting and Andrew Strauss, have a big role to play in this respect,” he said.

Wessels felt it would be a good series for batsmen in the absence of real quality bowlers on both sides.

“Due to the lack of real quality international bowling on either side, this is a good series to be a batsman. The top order in both teams played well on this easy-paced pitch and we may well be set for long drawn out matches,” he said.

“It could get boring at times, but it may also lead to a sudden twist that could determine the outcome of the series in dramatic fashion.”