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Ponting looking for historic double
Australian captain Ricky Ponting is hoping to land the first leg of a historic double when the ICC Champions Trophy starts in England.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting is hoping to land the first leg of a historic double when the ICC Champions Trophy starts here in England on Friday.
Australia have never won the tournament, which has been played three times since 1998, something Ponting aims to put right over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
Then he takes his men to India, where Australia have not won since 1969/70, for an eagerly-awaited, four-match Test series which Ponting says "could go down as one of the biggest ever played."
Steve Waugh was the last Australian captain to try and conquer what he called the last frontier' when he led his team to the sub-continent in 2000/01 only to lose a pulsating series 2-1.
Ponting said: "It is going to be a huge series. The last series in India was the best one I've played in and we should have won. The last Test went to late on the last day and we lost.
"But we have the got the side and the players to do well. We have played very well on the subcontinent in the last couple of years we have come a long way and are a better team now playing in those conditions.
"Our result in Sri Lanka, where we won 3-0, was outstanding. I think that was the first time that had been achieved by a touring side and that gives us a lot of confidence."
Before that potentially historic series Ponting is determined to land the one major honour to elude the Australians.
