AUSTRALIA will have the class to defend the Ashes in England, in spite of skipper Ricky Ponting.

That is the somewhat controversial view of former Aussie firebrand Jeff Thomson, who still believes Ponting was the reason behind England’s home triumph in 2005.

The five-Test series gets underway in Cardiff next Wednesday, with Ponting confident his side could not be better prepared.

But Thomson claims that the Aussies would have been much better off had they overlooked Ponting way back in 2004, when he took over the Test captaincy from Steve Waugh.

Thomson, a veteran of 51 Tests, said: “I thought Ricky was c**p when he was first captain in 2004 and nothing much has improved since then. I’m not the only one who thinks that. I’ve always bagged him.

“He’s a great player but captaincy is a totally different thing. I couldn’t believe it when he’d been picked as captain. There was no-one else to pick but Ponting still had no experience.

“He’d only captained one side ever before. How did he get to lead Australia with that sort of experience? “He was in a side that had very good players and now he’s got a side that has average players.

“He’s still left wanting. You see it on him - he gets frustrated. He worries when the players don’t do what he’s used to with the ball when he passes it to them.”

Many observers have criticised the Aussies for taking Nathan Hauritz on tour, especially after his poor display against Sussex when the spinner was carted for 158 runs for just one wicket.

And Thomson believes that is also Ponting’s fault. He said: “He’s got a bloke in there who can’t even spin a ball. Simon Katich and Michael Clarke have more chance of taking a wicket than Hauritz.

“Why go for a guy like that? I don’t rate Hauritz.

“The choices he makes, his field settings and the things he does are never right.

“England have the edge in the captaincy department. But while England have a better captain, Australia have a better line-up.”

The under-fire captain, meanwhile, has warned his attack to cut down on their extras if they want to see off hosts England. Brett Lee was generous in the extreme as he gifted Sussex 14 no-balls over two innings in the recent drawn warm-up match, while Ben Hilfenhaus chipped in with ten of his own.
And Ponting wants to see costly errors like that eradicated ahead of day one in Cardiff next Wednesday.

He said: “It probably worried the bowling group more than it worried me but there were a number of reasons why it happened.

“There was a slope from one end and the fact that guys were striving for that little bit extra because there are spots up for grabs, that had a little bit to do with it.

“That many no-balls in a game is not acceptable and something we’ll be looking to improve. Obviously in Tests you can’t afford to do that.”