Ponting counting on young Aussies to make impact

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes his team is still one of the top sides in the world and said it was the depth and abundance of talent that has kept them ahead of others in the recent past.

"We've got great depth in Australian cricket and I think this is one of the things that has held us ahead of the game for the last seven or eight years," Ponting said.

Ponting, who retired from Twenty20 International cricket recently, said he expects the young guns in the side to make an impression in the ICC Champions Trophy, starting later this month.

"We expect the young guys who come into the side to make an impact as well as those who have been in the side for some time," said Ponting, on ICC Cricket World audio show.

His deputy Michael Clarke, who was a part of the ICC Champions Trophy winning team in 2006, also expressed confidence in the youngsters and felt they would be able to fill in the shoes of the retired players.

"We've obviously had a few key players retire since the last ICC Champions Trophy but we also have had some good young players come through who we all expect to make an impact this time round," Clarke said.