Ricky Ponting makes a 5-0 prediction in favour of the Aussies

Looking at the momentum and attitude of the hosts, the former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has made a 5-0 prediction in their favour for Ashes 2017-18. He also thinks that the home team needs to play an aggressive and stubborn level of cricket to whitewash this England team down and reclaim the prestigious Urn. The legend revealed that they should come hard at their opponent in the rest of the series and should not calm down after the win at Gabba.

Australia took a 1-0 lead in the Ashes series by winning the first Test match by 10 wickets, after a great performance by skipper Steve Smith in the first innings and the opening stand between David Warner and debutant Cameron Bancroft paved the way for the massive victory. The bowlers also played a crucial role in the win, especially off-spinner Nathan Lyon who took five wickets in the match.

However, Joe Root-led English team will try to fight back and level the series in the upcoming second Test at Adelaide, which will be the first ever day-night fixture in the history of Ashes.

Ponting feels it is a moment to capitalise the lead

The former captain revealed that after gaining a 1-0 lead in the series, the hosts cannot get complacent and need to capitalise this momentum. He stated that this is time where the Australians need to be harder on themselves and each player should try to contribute at the highest levels. He also feels that this is an important win for the hosts, going into the upcoming Adelaide Test with a strong passion and better state of mind.

“It’s moments like this in series when you need to go even harder. When you know that you’ve got an opposition down and there’s things going around their camp, that’s when you’ve got to be harder on yourself as a group of Australian players and make sure they don’t let them back into the series,” said Ponting as quoted by cricket.com.au.

He mentioned the fact that this Australian team needs to focus on their strengths and weaknesses in order to succeed and play well in the rest of the series. They need to figure out the shortcomings and be ready for all the hurdles on their way forward. The Aussie legend also feels with all this hard work, the Steve Smith-led side is capable to win every game.

“I honestly think there’s a chance for this Australian team to do the same thing all over. If they pay attention to their own backyard and pay attention to detail and try and find ways to improve every game, I think they can win every game,” added the Aussie legend.