Ricky Ponting believes the introduction of across-the-board third-umpire referrals will benefit cricket for years to come.

Ponting has just led his Australia team to a 2-1 Ashes defeat in the last series likely to be played without the International Cricket Council's referral system.

After trialling the policy of consulting television umpires whenever a team felt they had a case against the decision made on the pitch, the ICC decided not to continue in this summer's Ashes.

There had been controversial teething problems with the innovation - notably in England's series defeat against West Indies in the Caribbean.

But referrals are to return forthwith - a move with which Ponting wholeheartedly agrees.

"We knew there weren't going to be referrals in this series," Ponting said, after his tourists had lost the final Test at the Oval by 197 runs.

A series of decisions might easily have been queried and overturned during the five Ashes Tests - and the consensus is that the majority went against Ponting's tourists.

"I think it will be definitely a good thing for the game," he added.

"Any time you can get more correct decisions in the game, then that's what you're after.

"When you have Test series as close and as evenly matched as this, you don't want a decision here and there being the difference in a series - although I'm not saying that was the case here.

"We just need to be sure it is done in the right way, with the right amount of money to get the cameras in the right places."

Ponting is set to leave Australia's tour temporarily to return down under, before returning for the culmination of the seven-match limited-overs NatWest Series.

While away, he will inevitably be mulling over what went wrong for his team this summer - and how to address the future.

Australia dominated much of the series in terms of individual statistics, yet ended up second best in the final reckoning - for the second succcessive tour under Ponting.

The Aussie captain believes it was a case of small margins and key moments counting against his team.

"That happened on a couple of occasions, not being able to get the final wickets in (the first Test in) Cardiff, (the second) at Lord's and our first-innings batting here (at the Oval)," he explained. "We need to become more consistent in our performances."

Defeat will be hard felt by Australians, none more so than Ponting himself.

"I'm obviously hurting - the rest of the guys are hurting as well," he confirmed.

Ponting was run out by a direct hit from England's retiring hero Andrew Flintoff yesterday, just when he and Michael Hussey (121) were beginning to place doubt in the hosts' minds over whether they might after all be able to pull off a mammoth world-record run chase of 546.

"To get 60 odd again was disappointing," said Ponting, who felt his final-Test innings was symptomatic of a summer full of near misses.

"I had some opportunities through the series which I haven't grabbed - two 30 odds, a 60 odd and a 70 odd here," he said.

"For me, that's not good enough. You need top-order players to go on to make big scores."

Ponting had started to think, on the fourth afternoon, that he and Hussey might give England a real scare.

"I wasn't looking at the scoreboard, but 'Huss' and I were going along nicely," he recalled.

"Then there were two run-outs in two overs and then a stumping soon afterwards, and all the momentum had turned back against us. England had their tails up."

Hussey's hundred was a case of a key player finally making an impact, albeit in vain and too late.

His captain was nonetheless thankful for the contribution.

"He played beautifully, exceptionally," said Ponting.

"It was good fun to be out there and share a partnership.

"You could see in his eyes in the morning that he was really up for the challenge.

"It's been a while since he made the hundred, and he's probably felt that more than anyone else.

"To see him stand up and make that hundred in difficult conditions when the team needed him most and when he needed it most, he showed just how much of a class player."

Hussey is not the only Australian who has impressed Ponting at some point this summer - and despite a slide down to fourth in the ICC rankings, a first fall from grace since the system was introduced six years ago, the captain believes they will bounce back.

"I'm very proud of whole group - the way they've stuck with things through the tour," he said.

"We've given it our best shot. We just haven't quite been good enough.

"You can look back to so many little things over a series - a catch here, a decision there, one good hour. I'm sure I'll do that - we'll all do that over the next few weeks."