"Absolutely Possible"

Ricky Ponting is nothing if not an optimist. That is the only possible conclusion one can reach following his astounding claim made before the media yesterday in the stage managed event to mark the 100th day before the Ashes series starts in Brisbane on November 25th.

Asked whether it was possible to beat England 5-0 in the coming series - as happened when the Poms last toured Australia - he claimed it was "absolutely possible", which really translates as 'certain perhaps', but in Ponting's mind it was a statement of intention.

Jesse Hogan, of the Sydney Morning Herald, believes Ponting was channeling Glen McGrath, who famously made the claim last time around. I don't think so. This was pure, brain not engaged, Ponting bravado. If you doubt it, look to his supporting evidence, Nathan Hauritz. By Ponting's estimation, ''I think what he's done in the last 12 to 18 months as our No.1 spinner has been of the highest quality.'' That's 43 wickets at 32. Yes, only Mitch Johnson has more wickets since England turned Ponting into Second Hand Rose but if averaging 32 is "the highest quality", one must question the standards we now attach to our national cricket side. In terms of Hauritz's career, these figures are only a marginal improvement over what went before. Our strike spinner is a run miser (less than three an over) but his balls per wicket strike rate is 64, or more than ten overs between wickets. That's "highest quality"?

Ponting also named Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle as crucial to the effort. There can be no doubting all three are important men to have on deck as Australia faces a confident England, whose batting line up has previous Ashes experience in Australia and whose bowlers look like they might suit Australian conditions but the three are far from certainties. Haddin (broken finger) is easily the most likely of the three. Hauritz, with stress fractures of the crucial left foot, around which his entire weight pivots in delivery, is also fairly certain to be there, although Ponting calls him "a lock in". Siddle (back injury) is the most problematic, although he's the type to never discount as he loves that Baggy Green.

Still, a wicket keeper with a hand injury, a spinner with a broken left foot and a fast bowler with a back injury are strange picks as your reasoning behind a 5-0 lion taming act. Apparently cricket followers think the Skipper's claims are wandering into fiction too, with comments on Cricinfo flowing strongly against him and a reader's poll in the Sydney Morning Herald running at 81% against Australia's chances of a straight sets victory.

It's one thing to talk it up but quite another to boldly go where no one can follow. Mind you, Ponting has made a career from emulating Skyhooks claim that "ego, is not a dirty word" both on and off the field.

Not this time Ricky. Not this time.