Don Argus warns Oz 'job not yet finished' despite 'remarkable turnaround' in Ashes

Australian business magnate Don Argus, who penned the landmark review of Australian cricket in 2011, has warned the team and its selectors that they must not be fooled into thinking the job is done despite the Ashes hosts revival.

After an incredible turnaround in the series, Australia, which won the Ashes 4-0, will replace England in third place in the ICC Test rankings regardless of what happens in the fifth and final Test in Sydney.

However, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that Argus is not prepared to call his review a success until Australia is ranked No.1 in all three formats, and has singled out succession planning as 'the big issue' confronting the triumphant Ashes team.

Argus, the former National Australia Bank (NAB) chief executive and BHP Billiton chairman hired to chair Cricket Australia's Team Performance Review after the home Ashes debacle three summers ago, said that there is no getting away from the goals written in his report.

These included restoring Australia as the No.1 team in Test cricket within four years (2015), regaining the Ashes in 2013 and winning the 2015 World Cup and 2014 World Twenty20 titles, the report added.

Although Argus is impressed by the 'solid and predictable leadership' around Michael Clarke's Test team, he urged the team to strive ahead in their overall objective of being No.1 by winning the series 5-0 and focus on succession planning, with seven players in the team being over 30.

For Australia to climb the rankings, Argus believes state associations have to keep pulling in the same direction to create a national high-performance culture, with Pat Howard in charge.