Aussie recovery pleases Ricky Ponting

CAPTAIN Ricky Ponting has turned his focus to Australia reclaiming the Ashes after watching his team complete another series whitewash of Pakistan in Hobart.

Australia secured a fifth win from six Tests this summer in completing a fourth successive 3-0 series win over Pakistan.

And although Australia will play four more Tests in the ten months before they begin their bid to defeat England in Brisbane in late November – two against New Zealand in New Zealand in March and two against Pakistan in England in July – Ponting believes his team has now put the disaster of last year's Ashes loss behind them.

"It's been a great series and a great summer for us," said Ponting, after Australia completed a 231-run victory over Pakistan in the third Test at Bellerive midway through day five.

"I spelled things out pretty clearly to the team about where I thought we were going and I think we have improved a lot through the summer."

Ponting's Pakistan counterpart Mohammad Yousuf declared Australia as "the best team in the world" at the end of the series.