Australia captain Ricky Ponting is content with the way his side have built up for the opening Ashes Test in Cardiff starting on Wednesday.

The tourists achieved plenty of positives from their drawn four-day game with England Lions at Worcester as the likes of Brett Lee, Marcus North and Mike Hussey all rediscovered their form with either bat or ball ahead of the first game in the five-match series.

Ponting said: "We got a lot out of this game - almost everyone except me - and it was really good preparation for us going into the Cardiff game. This wicket will be similar to the one we have to confront down there, so we couldn't have asked for much more as far as our preparation goes."

He added: "Brett Lee really stood up for us in the first innings. Once the ball started to swing, we know he is as good as anyone in the world in terms of exploiting those conditions.

"Marcus North batted well in the second innings, and Mike Hussey looks terrific in both knocks, while Michael Clarke got some quality time in the middle yesterday.

"We have topped things up really well. I've been really happy with the way things have gone for the past month.

"We went out of the World Twenty20 really early and have had a long run-in to the first Test. It seems like an eternity, but our training has been spot-on.

"We can travel down to Cardiff happy with what we have done and the intensity automatically steps up when you play Test cricket."