Sydney: The shock of losing the Ashes in September may have been a boon for Australia, captain Ricky Ponting said on Wednesday.

It had helped renew the focus and desire in a team which had become accustomed to sweeping all before it, Ponting said at the launch of his book ‘Ashes Diary 2005’.

The first Australian captain to lose the coveted trophy in nearly 20 years pointed out that since the team’s humbled return to Australia “we’ve managed to turn things around quite drastically and dramatically”.

Ponting has, in recent weeks, led Australia to victory in a three-match one-day series against the World XI and followed it up with two crushing Test victories over the World XI and the West Indies.

“The way we’ve played over the last few weeks, we’ve changed things around quickly, so that’s been very, very satisfying,” he said.

“I don’t think (losing the Ashes) was a bad thing for the team or for Australian cricket, to tell the truth.

“It was a learning curve for a lot of us. I certainly think and felt that I learnt a lot through the Ashes tour. I think a lot of the players learnt a lot about themselves as well.”

In his diary entry for September 12, the day the Ashes were lost, Ponting said the 2-1 margin probably flattered Australia.

“The hardest thing about our defeat is that we know what went wrong ? we failed with the bat, lacked penetration and control with the ball (Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath excepted), dropped catches, bowled far too many no-balls and lost McGrath to injury for the vital Edgbaston Test.

“But that was what went wrong; the reasons why we failed remain a mystery.