Ponting enthuses over rebuilt side

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has used his team's first-round exit from the Twenty20 World Cup for some intensive practice with his rebuilt side before the Ashes series starting next month.

Ponting has lost Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden, and Adam Gilchrist from the team who defeated England 5-0 in the last Ashes contest after losing 2-1 in the unforgettable 2005 series.

The team have endured mixed fortunes subsequently but showed their calibre by beating South Africa away this year after losing the previous series in Australia.

"To take that group of players over there and win as well as we did was very satisfying and I tried to take as much as I could out of that result," Ponting told reporters at a media day at the Sussex County Cricket ground in Hove.

"It was a good feeling for me and that's why I've got a really good feeling around this group of players.

"When you're putting new openers in and new fast bowling combinations in your side I guess it is almost a total rebuilding. Everything is heading in the right direction."

Ponting, who inherited one of the great Australian sides from Steve Waugh, now has an enviable mix of youth and experience at his disposal for the Ashes defence starting in Cardiff on July 8.

Opening batsman Philip Hughes and fast bowler Mitchell Johnson are two of the most exciting players in world cricket and the competition among the pace bowlers will be fierce.

"The last series in South Africa was a good one with some young guys who learned a lot about international cricket and a fair bit about themselves," said Ponting.

"I've said for a while I've been very happy and very excited about where our test cricket is heading. It's an opportunity for players on this tour to really forge an identity for themselves."