Focus back on Ashes after week of distractions

SYDNEY, Dec 24 (Reuters) The emotion and hype surrounding Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath's pending farewells is threatening to distract Australia in the buildup to the fourth Ashes test against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

With the series already decided, Australia's players could be forgiven for taking it easy in the final two tests but coach John Buchanan and captain Ricky Ponting have warned the team not to lose sight of the big picture.

Motivated by the taunts of English fans after losing their 16-year grip on the Ashes last year, Australia are determined to reinforce their domination over their rivals with a 5-0 series clean sweep, emulating the feat of Warwick Armstrong's 1920-21 Australians.

''Our mission here is not only to win the Ashes but also establish a huge gap between us and England,'' Buchanan told reporters.

''We really want to finish these next two test matches on a high note.'' Australia regained the Ashes in record time with two matches to spare after winning the first three matches of the series, but say they will not be satisfied with anything less than English humiliation.

Ponting said the Australians had to be careful not to get caught up in the inevitable hype surrounding the pending retirements of Warne and McGrath but could think of no better way to send them off than with a series whitewash.

''There is a strong feeling in the team that the job is only half finished and I'd be very disappointed if we lost a game from here,'' Ponting said.

''We want to win the next two games and it would be a fitting end for Shane and Glenn.

''We can actually use that as some sort of motivation to make sure we send off two of the all-time greats of the game on the right note.'' MORE REUTERS MQA RN0756