SOTHAMPTON, Sept 13: Australia captain Ricky Ponting offered some veiled criticism of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday after his side's annihilation of the United States in their Champions Trophy clash.

Australia dismissed the US for just 65 and then achieved their target for the loss of Matthew Hayden in 7.5 overs, ensuring they bettered New Zealand's run rate so they would progress to the semifinals if their Group 'A' clash on Thursday is washed out.

"It was a pretty easy workout for us," Ponting said after the win, having previously said emerging sides like the US gain nothing from being thrashed by the established teams.

The scheduling of the tournament in the English autumn also perplexed Ponting. "It is not a great time of year to be playing cricket in England ... we are not sure what is going to happen with the weather so that (run rate) was an important factor," he added of the approach adopted by openers Adam Gilchrist and Hayden in trying to achieve the target as quickly as possible.

American captain Richard Staple was upbeat despite his team's hammering, disagreeing with Ponting about whether games between heavyweights and huge underdogs are worthwhile.

"Even though the losses were heavy the experience is very good for us," he said. "We understand that if we have to improve as a team we have to learn from these guys. "These games are televised (in the US) and the exposure we get from this tournament will hopefully enhance the development of the game." -Reuters