Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised his team's weekend performance against New Zealand in Brisbane after they completed an innings victory. He said: "We ambled through the first two days, and then played two of the best days of cricket you're likely to see. It reminded us how we can play."
Ponting reckoned the 114-run stand between last men Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie was a big factor.
"Tail-enders scoring runs can be pretty demoralising. It gave us momentum."
He said New Zealand had competed well for the first two days.
"Jacob Oram turned the game around in their favour on day two and I thought they bowled well.
"But quite often our best qualities come out when our backs are to the wall. Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke changed the game for us."
He poured cold water on the significance of a clash between Gilchrist and Craig McMillan, when the Kiwi batsman stood his ground after apparently edging a catch.
"It was just a spur of the moment five-second thing over the course of a four-day game - a slight difference of opinions. We were pretty confident that he nicked that ball and he was telling us that he might not have.
"Generally when there's one that we think might be out and a batsman is standing his ground, quite often you are going to receive words."
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming felt that some important decisions had gone against his side.
"We're working with pretty small margins against a pretty good Australian side.
"We need things to go our way and when they don't it makes it hard. It hurt us at times during this game, but it's not why we lost."
On the disagreement between McMillan and Gilchrist, he added: "I was interested in how it finished when I saw that conversation in the middle of the field.
"Craig said it was sorted and I take his word for that. He seemed pretty relaxed about it."
MMIX
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It was just a spur of the moment five-second thing over the course of a four-day game 
