Cricket Australia's executive general manager of team performance Pat Howard "would love" to have Ricky Ponting working with the Australia side in a batting consultant position, with discussions between the two parties having already occurred.

Ponting, Australia's leading run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs, has already had success as a head coach with Mumbai Indians in the India Premier League, winning the tournament at his first attempt earlier this year.

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But in the wake of Australia's disastrous Ashes campaign with the bat, it is Ponting's ability as a batting mentor – something he became renowned for within the Australia squad in his final years as a Test player, even if it was to the detriment of his own performances – that is being sought, with the ball believed to now be very much in the former skipper's court.

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"We have spoken to Ricky a few times this year to be around the side," Howard told News Ltd. "I am certainly very open to getting him involved and we would love to have him on board.

"I sense Ricky would also love to be involved. His time commitments are obviously one of the big challenges."

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Following his retirement from playing, Ponting has worn a number of hats, in commentary roles with Sky Sports for the Ashes and Network TEN with the KFC Big Bash League, while also taking on the aforementioned head coaching role with IPL powerhouse Mumbai.

Seeking the expertise of legends is not a foreign concept for Australia under the coaching of Darren Lehmann, with Shane Warne and Muthiah Muralidaran both being called upon to offer assistance to the spin-bowling group at different times.

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Lehmann also recently said he was in regular discussions with Western Australia coach and Test batting great Justin Langer, adding: "There's always dialogue behind the scenes with all our former greats to be perfectly honest ... they're always welcome."

"We've got to afford him (Ponting) first and foremost but we'd be mad not to have them (Ponting, Langer etc) for that simple reason that they've played a lot of cricket, they're experienced," Lehmann said last month.

"Our guys love the past players coming in to speak to them so we certainly look at any options that Ricky would want to entertain and we would use him."

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Ponting, who scored four Ashes hundreds in England and averaged 41.79 there across 20 Tests, was critical of Australia's overly-aggressive approach during the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, during which they were bowled out for 60 on the opening morning of the match.

"You can be positive in defence, show intent by leaving the ball or playing a forward or backward defence," he explained.

"It doesn't have to be standing up and trying to whack it through the covers. That's not going to work in these conditions.

"I don't know if they're confused about the way they want to play. They shouldn't be. When conditions are like this you just have to find a way to get through.

"I just don't think they're defensive-minded enough.

"Mitchell Johnson probably left the ball better than the top-order players. He was prepared to guts it out, but at that stage they were seven down."