Speaking to Channel 7 after Australia retained the urn following a clinical showing in the first three Ashes Tests, former skipper Ponting stated that Joe Root’s England have some “really, really deep thinking to do.”

“This [the series loss] goes back to their preparation for Brisbane,” he said. “I just think they out-thought themselves with their selections for Brisbane, looking forward to Adelaide and then looking forward to MCG. I mean, just pick your best team from the start, and see how far that group can take you. The fact that Anderson and Broad didn’t play at Brisbane was staggering. The fact that Joe Root probably didn’t bowl first was staggering. The fact that Mark Wood didn’t play in Adelaide for me was staggering.”

He also went on to say that England have been “completely wrong” in not fielding the best from the very start. The team decided to right some wrongs by changing the opening pair and bringing in Mark Wood for the third Test, but it proved to be too little, too late.

“All their planning, and thought, and structures have been completely wrong and it’s come back to bite them. It’s no good looking forward from Brisbane if you are going to be one and two-nil down. And that’s what it was. They planned for Melbourne already being two-nil down, and come here and they’ve been pounced again, so they’ve got some really, really deep thinking to do.”