ICC recognition of Oz pacers shows team is on right track: Ponting India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is convinced that his side can regain its mantle as the undisputed best team in the world after the recognition being given to the country's new breed of pace bowlers. Fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus have all gained acknowledgement of their strong past 12 months with nominations for Thursday's International Cricket Council awards. Johnson, 27, is a nominee in the two major awards, cricketer of the year and Test player of the year. Siddle, 24, and Hilfenhaus, 26, are both in the hunt for the emerging player of the year. The Herald Sun quoted Ponting, as saying that the nominations give reason for optimism in the post- Warne-McGrath-Gilchrist and Hayden era. "Even though our results haven't been what we would have liked and probably what a lot of people back at home wouldn't have liked either, we're on the right track definitely in all forms of the game," Ponting said. "Our Test cricket's been good without being dominant and our one-day cricket over the past few months in particular has really picked up. We're really on the right track and a lot of the younger guys are leading the way, so we're in pretty good shape, I reckon," he added.