After Ponting, Thomson turned his ire on spinner Nathan Hauritz and said even part-timers like Simon Katich and Michael Clarke stand a better chance of grabbing a wicket. "... he (Ponting) has got a bloke in there who can't even spin a ball (Nathan Hauritz). Simon Katich and Michael Clarke have more chance of taking a wicket than Hauritz. "Why go for a guy like that? I don't rate Hauritz," said Thomson.

Thomson, however, still picked Australia as the favourite for the Ashes that starts July 8. "England have the edge in the captaincy department. But while England have a better captain, Australia have a better line-up." On Australia's possible line-up for the five-Test series, Thomson said he didn't see pacer Brett Lee finding a place in the side. "I don't see a place for Brett Lee in this side. He hasn't played for such a long time. Mitchell Johnson is a handy bowler but what's really added another string to his bow is his batting - he's a really good batsman. He bats properly and is a good hitter of the ball. He's got defence and attack."