Ricky Ponting still had tears in his eyes when he started plotting for Australia to stay on top the world yesterday. And perhaps even bag a world record.
Australia's summer of dreams ended with the first 5-0 Ashes whitewash in 86 years and a 10-wicket fifth Test win against England at the SCG.
As he did a tearful lap of honour with retiring trio Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer, Ponting put his arm around Michael Clarke and anointed him as a key general for life after the legends.
"I grabbed hold of Michael as we were walked around the ground and had a word to him about the next era and what we have coming up," Ponting said.
"Hopefully he and I and Mike Hussey and those guys will be the leaders and win games for our country."
With Australia having now won 12 consecutive Tests, Ponting will challenge the new generation to build on the work of their predecessors by breaking the Test world record of 16 consecutive wins set by Steve Waugh's team at the start of the decade.
"That would be great," man-of-the-series Ponting said. "Let's hope we can give that record a bit of a shake."
Such was the emotion of the occasion Ponting, Australia's man of steel, was overcome with nostalgia.
"I shed a tear out on the ground and I tried to stay away from as many photographers as I could," Ponting said.
"When England landed here lots of so-called experts tipped them to win. For us to whitewash the series showed how well we have played."
After their dressingroom celebrations, the Aussies left for a party on Sydney Harbour on a yacht owned by the Packer family.
- ROBERT CRADDOCK