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Sydney: Embattled Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting received the support of his players on Wednesday after they returned home following their Ashes defeat to England at the weekend.
Ponting, who is expected back in Sydney later on Wednesday, is the first Australian captain in more than a century to lose two Ashes series in England.
England won the fifth test in London by 197 runs on Sunday, giving Andrew Strauss's team a 2-1 series victory.
Ponting's captaincy has since come under scrutiny in sports-mad Australia, which has basked in its cricket team's dominance of the game for the better part of two decades.
"Ricky Ponting has got my full support and I think he's the best man to be captain," fast bowler Stuart Clark told reporters upon his arrival at Sydney airport. "I think it's ludicrous that anyone say anything other."
Opening batsman Simon Katich also said Ponting had the support of the team and that there were 11 players on the field at the Oval when England claimed the series win.
Former Australia batsman Dean Jones, however, suggested Ponting be stripped of the captaincy and called on the selectors to consider coaxing legspinner Shane Warne out of retirement to lead the side.
"If the selectors ... want to go to someone else for the captaincy, if they're thinking of that, (the options are) maybe give it to (vice captain) Michael Clarke straight away," Jones was quoted as saying by Wednesday's Australian newspaper.
"Is he old enough? Is he mature enough now? Will they give it to, say, maybe Marcus North who they have a lot of respect for? Or even Simon Katich?
"Or one more? Ask Shane Warne to come out of retirement just for two years, then give it to Michael Clarke.
"A lot of people might be thinking that's stupid but it will take him two months, three months to get himself fit, just let him play the test matches and, I tell you what, he would do it in a heartbeat."
