Oz `got lazy` with fade of dominance, says Ponting

Sydney: Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has said that Australia `got lazy` with the fading of their dominant era, although he added that they will be back with a vengeance for the Ashes.

Australia, under Ponting, have lost their past two Ashes campaigns - in 2009 and then on home turf in 2010/11 - but with an unprecedented schedule of back-to-back series in the next eight months, they have a chance to restate their preferred world order. Surrey player Ponting, who will be a mere Ashes spectator for the first time in almost 20 years, admitted that his former team got a bit lazy following Australia`s time at the top of the world rankings, adding that they took their success for granted and were not willing to go the extra yard to stay those couple of steps ahead of the rest. Stating that with their fall in dominance, they lagged behind couple of teams in the world rankings, Ponting, however, said that the Australians are now trying their best to reverse the entire cycle and has warned England that their current run as a Test power would not last forever. According to Ponting, there will be an eventual downturn in the fortunes of England after the eventual retirement of players like James Anderson and the like, who have been firing England to the top of the ranks, adding that their positions would not be easy to fill. Insisting that Australia would be tough opponents for England this summer, the former Test skipper said that Australia could be competitive if the top-order batsmen can find a way to score runs. Stating that the Australian team is facing a negative reaction after a disappointing show in the India tour, Ponting defended the team, saying that most teams who would have played against the Indian team in similar conditions would also have found it difficult to win a Test match as well. ANI