Brisbane, Feb. 13 : Skipper Ricky Ponting believes that Australia's policy of resting its star players is controversial and self-defeating.

Speaking ahead of the final Chappell-Hadlee one-day match between Australia and New Zealand that has begun at the Gabba in Brisbane, Ponting said that while there was a need for Australia's cricketers to rest between matches to avoid a burnout, the current strategy was far from perfect.

"We haven''t made any changes in the last couple of games and we have probably played our best cricket as a result of that. It (the resting policy) is something that we need to keep working on and looking at and trying to find ways to make the overall policy a little bit better and a little bit tighter. It''s hard to say what is right and what is wrong," Fox Sports quoted him, as saying.

"I think it''s important we have got guys that are at their freshest mentally and physically when we really need them. It''s a hard one to get right. I have some say in it, like I have some say in selections as well. At the end of the day a lot of those bigger decisions are made without me, that''s just the way it is at the moment," he added.

Ponting also said that the final game assumes extra importance as a win would provide a silver lining to a poor summer and be a springboard for the South African tour this month.

"(This game) for us is everything, we want to finish the Australian summer on a good note. We will head to South Africa with a fairly similar group of guys who will have a bit more of a spring in their step if we happen to win," he said.

New Zealand has never won a one-day series in Australia and have only won four one-day tournaments away from home in the last decade. (ANI)