Ricky Ponting said Australia's Ashes whitewash over England was his sweetest moment since taking over the captaincy but insisted revenge was never a factor in his team's ruthless display.
Ponting's bore the brunt of criticism after his team lost the Ashes to England in 2005 with former Australia players and sections of the media lining up to attack his leadership credentials.
Ponting was hurt by the criticism but dedicated himself to regaining the Ashes and proving his critics wrong, a promise he delivered on when Australia completed on Friday their first Ashes cleansweep in 86 years.
"I'm very satisfied but revenge has never come into it. I've never mentioned it once," Ponting told a news conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
"The cricket we've played has been as good as I can ever remember that we've played.
"Lots of so called experts said (England) would win. It's a great feeling right at the moment but I can't take that feeling for granted either."
Ponting began plotting Australia's strategies to regain the Ashes from the moment they lost to England while they were still being taunted about the defeat and their ageing team.
Ponting instructed his players to absorb the pain of defeat and take note of England's wild celebrations with their players travelling around London in open-top buses, drinking champagne and meeting the Queen.
It was no surprise that Australia's response was both ruthless and calculated, regaining the Ashes in record time with two matches to spare, with Ponting named player of the series after scoring 576 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 82.
"The last six or seven weeks have been the best of my cricketing life. For the guys to stand up, myself to get some runs and to feel I've led the side well has been enjoyable," he said.
"We haven't made a big deal about 5-0 result...but it's 80-something years since it's happened in Australia so we should savour it."
Ponting has acknowledged how well England played in the last Ashes series but maintained his side could have won the series had they played at their best.
"We've had to work hard and have a look at ourselves. I knew this team wouldn't make the same mistakes as last time," he said.
"We've played outstanding cricket, everyone should be proud about that."
