SYDNEY, Sept 14: Ricky Ponting arrived home on Wednesday, declaring that he still wants to be Australia’s cricket captain and that his team have a burning desire to retrieve the Ashes off England late next year. Australian team members returned home amid calls for heads to roll after the world champions had gone to England in June with expectations of a comfortable series victory.

Ponting has taken much of the blame for the failure with fast bowling great Dennis Lillee calling for Shane Warne to replace him as captain.

Ponting confronted a large media pack shortly after his arrival said he wasn’t aware of Lillee’s comments.

“I’m not concerned about those things. As long as I am doing the right thing by everyone in my dressing room as the team and the coaching staff, well then that’s all I can do,” Ponting told a press conference.

“I know I’m not going to keep everybody happy along the way, I am sure I’ve done things even before this series that other people haven’t been that happy with.”

Ponting, criticised roundly for conservative field placements and bowling changes, said he wanted to remain captain.

“I still want to be captain. It’s a 2-1 series defeat, it’s not as if we have been completely wiped off the planet and it’s not as if we have to make wholesale changes to our set-up,” he said.

Lillee, writing in The West Australian, said Warne acted as Australia’s “pseudo captain” during the drawn fifth Test.

Lillee felt Ponting should be left to concentrate on his batting.—AFP