Ashes line-ups won't be changed too much: Ponting

Sydney, Jan.19 (ANI): Australian captain Ricky Ponting does not expect squads for the next Ashes series to be changed drastically, as both sides seem to have a settled look.

After winning five of six home Tests in a summer that concluded with a 231-run victory at Bellerive Oval yesterday, Ponting defended Marcus North and looked ahead with confidence as four Tests await - two each against New Zealand and Pakistan - before the campaign to regain the game's most precious urn begins.

"He's (North) not a weak link at all," Ponting said.

"It was only a couple of Tests ago we were saying he was probably our best and most in-form player and coming into this week I was in the same boat - things change pretty quickly," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Ponting, as saying further.

"I don't see a weak link in our side at the moment. Hopefully everything turns out the way we want it to for Marcus and he can go to New Zealand and have a good series there and there won't be any speculation about anyone in our line-up," Ponting said. (ANI)