Perth, Dec. 17 : A desperate Australian captain Ricky Ponting has instructed pace bowler Brett Lee to taken on a leadership role in attacking the South African batters during their series Down Under.

Lee, who has played 74 Tests and taken over 300 wickets, Ponting has been asked to make an instant impact in the absence of his injured new-ball partner Stuart Clark.

"Brett''s really up for the challenge. I''ve singled him out in the team meeting yesterday (Monday) as the leader of the attack," the Daily Telegraph quoted Ponting as saying after training.

"I know he really enjoys that role so I''ve put it back on to him to make sure he''s leading the way right from the start of this series," he added.

Apart from Lee, there is Mitchell Johnson who has played 15 Tests, off-spinner Jason Krejza and Vicorian pacer Peter Siddle, both of whom have played a Test each.

Ponting repeatedly emphasized how important it was to start well to reinforce the doubts of the South Africans who have struggled in Australia in the past.

"It''s very fair to say that we''ve had the wood over them in both forms of the game and particularly in bigger moments in series, whether it be in World Cup semi-finals or big Test series," Ponting said.

"We''ve managed to play at a very high standard against South Africa. We need to do that again at the start. They are a good side. There''s no doubt a lot of those guys in the South African side have played a lot of cricket against us and would be carrying some of the scars of previous series," he added.

"It''s up to us to make sure we start the series well enough to reopen some of those scars again," Ponting said. (ANI)