TWELVE players. One Test. One massive point to prove.

Point to prove ... these dozen men must lay it on the line against the English at the SCG.

Australia's dirty dozen will summon up all their wounded pride, disappointment and anger from the MCG massacre in an attempt to mend their battered reputations when the fifth Ashes Test begins at the SCG tomorrow.

Cricket is the most individual of team sports and every player in the final XI - Ben Hilfenhaus or Doug Bollinger will be pouring the drinks - will be hell bent on saving face in the final Test of a harrowing summer.

Wounded captain Ricky Ponting is still in the trenches, attending Australian training yesterday to help with fielding and batting drills.

Mike Hussey claimed Ponting's appearance was indicative of the camaraderie within the squad, under new skipper Michael Clarke, and the burning intent to square the series.

"We have to start the rise again," Hussey said.

"Start the rise of getting back to where we want to be. Getting a team together we believe in and sticking with it and building back up to being No .1 in the world again.

"I really felt for Ricky. Trying to play with a busted finger, copping a lot on the external side of stuff, I really felt for him. But in the same breath, I was quite philosophical about it. England have played for consistently longer periods than we have and, in that respect, they deserve to be 2-1."

Australia's new vice-captain Brad Haddin added: "We can't hide that we are bitterly disappointed and it still hurts. We've got to regroup and get our heads back around the Sydney Test. The bottom line is we've lost the Ashes but we can still draw the series. The disappointment of losing the Ashes doesn't go away, but we can put on a brave face and present ourselves to the Australian public and get a good result."