Ricky Ponting Calcutta: Ricky Ponting delivered a scathing assessment of England's Ashes prospects, claiming Joe Root's team is weighed down by form and injury concerns, has an ageing new-ball attack that's in decline and will struggle to win even one match in a series that Australia will sweep. "I've been a bit more outward than normal about this one because I honestly think that Australia will win really easily. They will sweep the Ashes series," Ponting told the Cricket Australia website. The former captain added: "If you look through the current England team, they're searching for an opener, a No.3, Stokes might not be there and a couple of their quicks have gone down. "Anderson and Broad, as good as they've been over the years, I think they're on the steady decline.

Source: The Telegraph November 14, 2017 22:07 UTC