Australian skipper Ricky Ponting laughed off ex-teammate Justin Langer's criticism of the world champions' indulgence in sledging, saying the opener was "never too far away from it".

"There must be two Justin Langers in the world I think," Ponting was quoted as saying by the 'Australian Associated Press'.

"I don't know what has happened there. But I know the little fella was never too far away from it if something was going on," he said.

Langer, who retired after the Ashes earlier this year, had said that his ex-teammates crossed the line way too often, which disturbed him during his playing days.

"I don't believe in it. It is something that has disturbed me over the years, particularly when Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan were involved in an ugly incident in 2003," Langer had told a British daily.

Langer said though he was not against minor talk with the opposition but would not acknowledge the kind of ugly scenes that sometimes spoilt the atmosphere of the game.

"If the batsman comes out and the fielders shout to the bowler 'he doesn't like playing outswingers', then that is a part of cricket, but there is a fine line between that and gamesmanship," he said.