SYDNEY, Nov 9: Australia's cricketers have scoffed at suggestions their ageing team is too old to win back the Ashes from England.

Australia's likely line-up will be the oldest in almost 80 years with an average age of about 33, compared to an England side that will average around 27.

At 37, Shane Warne will be the oldest player in the team but more than half the side for the first test in Brisbane will be at least 35, including Glenn McGrath (36), Justin Langer (36), Matthew Hayden (35), Damien Martyn (35) and Adam Gilchrist and (35).Ponting is one of the youngest players in the team at 31 but insists age is irrelevant. “It's dictated by performances. It doesn't really matter about your age,” Ponting told reporters at the official Ashes launch in Sydney. “It's spoken about a lot, the age of the side, but those guys keep performing.

“Look at Warnie and McGrath and Hayden. They're our best performers.”—Reuters