RICKY Ponting's Australia still remember their misery at the Brit Oval last year - and are out to erase it forever this winter.

They were bowled out on the final day of last year's Ashes to lose the match by 197 runs and the series 2-1 after which Ponting memorably insisted his team take the field one last time as England celebrated.

The intention was that they would know the undiluted taste of defeat, and Ponting said: "That's a really big part of how we play in this series. There's been a bit written this week about what I made the players do at The Oval last year. I made sure they all got down on the ground and they all took in our own disappointment, more the English excitement."

He added: "I made sure that it hurt them as much as possible when the Ashes were being handed over to Andrew Strauss at The Oval.

"There's no doubt that's what's been driving certainly me, after all the work that I've done, but every one of the players as well.

"It's about that empty feeling we had in our stomachs after walking off The Oval again, after two successive Ashes tours.

"We want to make sure we don't have that feeling again."

Ten of the same XI - for Stuart Clark, read debutant Xavier Doherty - will take the field again at the Gabba.

This is the venue where Australia are unbeaten in 20 years and where they routinely get off to a flier against opponents unused to the near unique demands of sub-tropical climes and extreme pace.

"History suggests that for every touring team coming to Australia they generally find here and Perth the places harder to adjust and adapt to," said Ponting. "England have been here a while, and in Hobart last week it seamed around a little bit. But history suggests we handle these conditions very, very well - and opposition teams struggle a bit."