We can create something special: Ponting
by Cricket Archive Staff Reporter
| Ground: | Adelaide Oval, Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth, Sydney Cricket Ground |
| Scorecard: | Australia v England, Australia v England, Australia v England, Australia v England |
| Player: | RT Ponting, ML Hayden, A Symonds, WW Armstrong |
DateLine: 29th December 2006
Ricky Ponting says Australia are looking to create something special
and whitewash demoralized England in an Ashes series clean sweep next
week after yet another pulverizing victory in Melbourne Thursday.
The crack Australians will go to Sydney aiming for the first 5-0 Ashes
series win in 85 years after crushing England by an innings and 99 runs
in the fourth Test inside three days at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Ponting senses Andrew Flintoff's team are at rock-bottom after their
fourth heavy defeat of the series. Australia have outplayed England to
win by 277 runs in Brisbane, six wickets in Adelaide, 206 runs in Perth
and by an innings in Melbourne.
"Losing a game here in three days after winning the toss, I think they
would be pretty demoralized at the moment," Ponting said. "I guess when
you're in a situation like that you just have to play for personal and
team pride, that's about all you can do."
Australia has an unwanted reputation of losing "dead" rubbers. South
Africa won the third Durban Test in March 2002 after losing the first
two of the series; England won in Sydney on the last Ashes tour here in
January 2003 after losing the first four Tests; the West Indies scored
a world record 418 for seven in the last innings to beat Australia in
the fourth Antigua Test in May 2003 and India won the dead rubber in
Mumbai in November 2004.
"There's a great feeling in the team and we're playing some great
cricket, so I don't think we have to focus on any outcomes. We just
have to focus on the process," Ponting said of next week's Sydney Test.
"You can't ever take for granted winning a Test match, it's not an easy
thing to do. It's hard work, but we have an opportunity now to create
something very special for this team in Sydney and we'll be giving it
the best shake we can to try and win that game."
Warwick Armstrong's team vanquished England 5-0 in the last Ashes clean
sweep in Australia in 1921. Ponting, who has taken special delight in
having the boot on the other foot after his anguish of becoming the
Australian captain to lose the Ashes last year, said England would be
crestfallen with their Melbourne performance.
"We've done everything in our power to make that be the way. England
wouldn't be happy with their performance here, no doubt about that," he
said. "When we are playing as well as we are and we're on a bit of a
run then I'm sure all those little doubts turn into big doubts. We've
seen that through this game. The way Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds
were able to play right through most of yesterday (in a 279-run
partnership) was obviously the defining moment in the game."
