We have the momentum now: Ponting
Melbourne: Australia have their tails up after beating England by 267 runs in Perth to get their Ashes campaign on track, but have plenty to ponder amid praise from a grateful nation as they prepare for the fourth Test.
The third Test victory, sparked by a stunning return to form by enigmatic pace bowler Mitchell Johnson, squared the five-Test series 1-1 on Ricky Ponting's 36th birthday and left the Australian captain claiming the momentum was firmly with the hosts.
Momentum and confidence is a great thing in sport," Ponting said.
"We've got the tide going back in our direction now and more importantly we've got some of our key players, like this bloke beside me (Johnson), probably on top of the world and with as much confidence as they've had in their careers."
The selection of a four-pronged pace attack for Perth was exonerated when Johnson teamed with fellow quicks Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle to dismiss England for 187 and 123.
Having been punished by England's batsmen at one stage or another in the Brisbane and Adelaide Tests when bowling with spinner Xavier Doherty, the four clearly enjoyed themselves at the WACA, where the pitch provided spark as changeable breezes helped the ball swing.
"The big thing that I was just really happy about was the way we bowled as a team," said Johnson, who was dropped after Brisbane following a wicketless performance in which he leaked 170 runs.
"The four fast bowlers, we stuck together and worked really hard. We were really patient."
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