Ponting says Ashes loss was not a 'bad thing'

The shock of losing the Ashes to England may have been good for Australian cricket, according to Ricky Ponting. Ponting said at the launch of his book Ashes Diary 2005 the defeat had helped renew the focus and desire in a side that had become accustomed to sweeping all before them.

As the first Australian captain to lose the coveted trophy in nearly 20 years, Ponting pointed out that since the team's return to Australia "we've managed to turn things around quite drastically and dramatically". "The way we've played over the last few weeks has been very, very satisfying," he said of victories in the Super Series and the first Test against West Indies.

"I don't think [losing the Ashes] was a bad thing for the team or for Australian cricket. It was a learning curve for a lot of us. I certainly felt that I learnt a lot through the Ashes tour and a lot of the players learnt a lot about themselves as well."

In his diary entry for September 12, the day the Ashes were lost, Ponting said the 2-1 margin probably flattered Australia. "The hardest thing about our defeat is that we know what went wrong - we failed with the bat, lacked penetration and control with the ball [Warne and McGrath excepted], dropped catches, bowled far too many no-balls and lost Glenn McGrath to injury for the vital Edgbaston Test.

"But that was what went wrong; the reasons why we failed remain a mystery. England played well, putting us under pressure with bat and ball. Despite their excellence, we should still have been able to compete far more effectively than we did."

Ponting said only Shane Warne could look at himself in the mirror and know he had played to his full potential. "The rest of us have just hinted at the form we are capable of, and that has cost us the series," he wrote.

But Ponting was also sure the team had not gone from world-beaters to deadbeats in one series. "We underperformed massively ... and I remain convinced that we have the right men to put the record straight," he wrote. "I expect us to do that over the months that will follow."

At the book launch Ponting could claim that his prediction had come true. But, he added wryly, "it would have been nice to have won 2-1 and still learn a few lessons along the way".