Nothing-to-lose attitude did the trick for us: Ponting

Jaipur, Oct 21 (UNI) Showering special praise on his bowlers, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said his team's nothing-to-lose attitude helped them register the six-wicket win over arch-rivals England in the crucial group A tie of ICC Champions Trophy here.

''It was a good performance by us today,'' Ponting said while reflecting on the match.

''It was a big game for us and we came here with a nothing-to-lose attitude. It paid off for us,'' he added.

Ponting said some wonderful bowling in the middle overs was the main reason that his World Champion side was able to pull off the match quite comfortably.

''It didn't start well for us but our bowlers -- especially Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson -- did wonderfully well in the middle overs,'' he said.

The Aussie skipper also had words of praise for man of the match Damien Martyn, whose crucial 78-run knock scripted the much-needed win.

''After the initial hiccups when we were three down for 30-odd, Damien played a superb knock and sealed the victory for us. He is an important part of the squad. (Michael) Hussey also played according to the situation,'' he said.

Ponting, however, reiterated that the result of the game should not be seen in the context of the Ashes next month.

''As I said earlier, I m not looking at it as a pre-cursor to the Ashes. One-day cricket in India is a lot different from Test cricket in Australia on fast bouncy tracks,'' he said.

Admitting that taking on India in the next match would be quite a task, Ponting said he was looking forward to another good contest.

''Our game against India is going to be as crucial as was today's. If we can play against them with the same application and intensity, I'm sure it will be another good contest,'' the Aussie captain said.

Martyn, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction after contributing in the tough match against the arch-rivals and said he had been waiting to take on the English since last summer's Ashes debacle.

''We have been waiting for this game for long, ever since we left England last year. We enjoyed a lot in the middle. It was great to have a partnership with Hussey. And although I couldn't finish it off, it was satisfying to score some runs and win the match,'' he said.

Martyn said as the match against India would be another do or die affair, he would be focusing on it after relaxing a bit.

A disappointed Andrew Flintoff, meanwhile, admitted to having a bad day in the office and lamented that his batsmen could not capitalise on a good start.

''We knew it was going to be tough and hard. After a good start, it was a bit disappointing to put just 169 on the scoreboard. We took some early wickets later on but could not finish it off,'' he said.

''One day cricket is hard and it doesn't go your way every day,''Flintoff said and added that his was a young side and the match was a learning experience for them.

Flintoff also maintained that the match would not have any bearing on their Ashes campaign.

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