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PERTH - Australia are determined that the swiftest Ashes cricket turnaround in history will also become a record-equalling 5-0 crushing of England.
Australia regained cricket's most prized trophy by winning the third test at the WACA Ground by 206 runs, which sparked wild celebrations among players who spent
the past 15 months hellbent on achieving redemption.
They did so when Shane Warne bowled Monty Panesar second ball after lunch - the legspinner's 699th test wicket - to have England all out for 350.
Like so many times this series, once Australia sensed the tourists' frailties, they seized, and despite a positive England batting performance early on day five, the world champions grabbed five for 14 to end the match.
After just 15 days of cricket in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, Australia's third win made it the quickest series turnaround in the Ashes' 124-year history.
That performance equalled the deeds of the Australian side of 1920-21, who also won the urn back in three tests and 15 days, although Warwick Armstrong's men had waited eight years for the chance.
The pain of losing the Ashes in 2005 has burned deeply within Ricky Ponting's team, and although elated at creating another big slice of history, he stressed the lasting hurt ensured there was plenty to take from dead rubbers in Melbourne and Sydney.
"With all that hurt that was carried over from the last series I think the guys will make sure that they're prepared as well as they can be and get themselves right," he said.
"I won't be happy if we lose a test match from here, and I'm sure the other players are in exactly the same boat."
A series win will also fuel speculation several Australian champions might be tempted to bow out in the new year, but Ponting said there were still critics to answer.
"We've all felt that we had a real point to prove to a lot of people," he said.
"Even on the eve of the first test I heard a lot of ex-Australian players - some of them are commentators at the moment - asked for their prediction for the series and a few of them didn't think we could win.
"That's a bit disappointing as far as I'm concerned.
"There was lots of 'Dad's Army' things being bandied around. The guys that they were talking about at different times through this series, they've been magnificent."
The seeds for Ashes redemption were sewn among the Australians while watching England celebrate their 2-1 victory in London in September 2005, and were nurtured soon after at a planning session in Melbourne, before the Super Series against the Rest of the World.
There Ponting and coach John Buchanan resolved to get back to basics.
Extra emphasis was placed on fielding (Australia dropped 17 costly catches in England last year), eradicating no-balls and not letting advantages slip.
Cricket Australia signed more specialist coaches, notably poaching bowling guru Troy Cooley from England.
Just over a year from that pow-wow, Australia have stretched their lead over the chasing pack.
It remains undefeated from the 15 tests they have played since last year's Ashes, and today's victory made it only the third side in history to win 10 or more in succession.
"There was a burning passion, a desire within the boys to make themselves better and make the team better in everything that we've done," Ponting said of the pivotal meeting.
"That's coming through in our cricket."
Principally, Australia have not let England wiggle out of corners like they did in 2005.
Australia dominated the first test in Brisbane, held firm on a dead wicket in Adelaide and steamrolled England on the final day, and then controlled the Perth test after an even first day.
England's players conceded they could not match Australia's new standards in their weekend newspaper columns, but Ponting pointed at his side's unfailing ability to capitalise when they had the initiative.
"If there has been a tough moment where we've been behind, we've been able to turn that into a positive," he said.
"That's one thing that's always been a strength of this team as long as I've been in the team.
"We didn't allow ourselves to do that last time around."
Australia have been able to call on regular input from their stars.
All batsmen have produced and all the bowlers have exerted their aura.
The pressure Warne builds will be evident as soon as the Boxing Day test starts, as the legspinner is poised to claim his 700th wicket before an adoring home crowd.
England's Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff only fired when the series was all but lost, and conservative selections meant spinner Monty Panesar only got his chance when the tourists were 2-0 down.
Flintoff said the captaincy had had "its moments", especially as, despite his side's talent, England's performances this tour are no better than they were during the dark days between 1990 and 2003.
"It's a job when I took it on I realised that there are a lot of good things, but it has its downsides and this is one of them," Flintoff said.
"I am not quite sure I can describe it, I am looking for words - it hurts, it's hurting a lot."
- AAP
