Ponting in bullish mood

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said his side were now looking forward with confidence to the finale of the Ashes after levelling the series in dominating style.

Victory by an innings and 80 runs in the fourth Test at Headingley on Sunday, a win achieved with more than two days to spare, saw Australia level the five-match series at 1-1 with one to play.

They now head to the Oval, where the fifth Test starts on August 20, needing just a draw to retain the Ashes, with several of their leading batsmen and bowlers in fine form.

"It will be difficult for England to bounce back now. Everything is heading in the right direction for us at exactly the right time of the tour," said Ponting.

Ponting is desperate not to follow in the footsteps of Billy Murdoch and become the first Australia captain in over a century to lose two Ashes series in England.

"It's a chance that I've been waiting for all tour, the chance the whole team has been waiting for," he said.

"After we lost at Lord's we've been wanting to play well and win again to get back to 1-1. I don't think we could have done anything better in this game."