Fuming Ponting to read players riot act

Ricky Ponting will sit down with his players and read them the riot act today in a bid to turn around their poor start to the Ashes tour.

The Australia captain admitted there were "angry" words in the dressing room following the failure to protect a massive total of 342 in yesterday's 50-over contest against Somerset.

The humiliating four-wicket defeat with 18 balls to spare to an under-strength Second Division county side came hot on the heels of Monday's embarrassing collapse against England.

"We are going to sit down and talk about it today," said Ponting. "We have to take a long, hard look at ourselves, get things out in the open and see where we can improve.

"I get pretty angry after most games we lose. The other guys feel the same as me. I know they will go away, think about it and rectify it for the next game.

"Your brain is not rusty - you still know what is right and what is wrong. I don't know if it was the execution or the thought process that was wrong but something was."

The team travelled to Cardiff last night to prepare for Saturday's NatWest Series opener against Bangladesh which Ponting admits: "We will have our work cut out to [win] after the way we have played the last couple of days."

It was the bowling and fielding against Somerset which particularly angered Ponting, who bemoaned his attack's failure to contain the home side's rampant overseas opening pair of Graeme Smith and Sanath Jayasuriya, who both smashed scintillating centuries as they added 197 in only 23 overs.

Although Brett Lee bowled only four overs before leaving the field with an injured right shoulder, for which he is expected to undergo a scan today, the only one-day bowling regular not in the team was Jason Gillespie.

Ponting said: "Smith and Jayasuriya batted well - but we let them bat well. It was pretty obvious the way they were playing, and yet we never changed.

"We weren't smart enough to start with, and when they started hitting us around we weren't able to change the length or anything.

"I don't know if it was the execution or what exactly was wrong - but something was. They should have been able to think on their feet - but it seems they could not."

It would be unwise, though, to read too much into yesterday's defeat. Australia have lost warm-up games on previous Ashes tours - in 2001 they lost a one-day game to Middlesex - before exerting their customary grip on the internationals.

It is a view endorsed by Somerset captain Smith, who believes the defeat might shake any complacency out of the world champions. "Australia will not be happy with their performance here - although I really believe this hard work-out for them will have been beneficial as much as anything else," Smith said.