Adelaide, Dec. 2 : Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that inexperience in Australian conditions, especially at Perth, might count against the South Africans when undertake the tour Down Under.

"On paper, it''s a very good attack. But it''s an attack that hasn''t played in Australia. We all know that it''s pretty easy to get carried away with conditions in Perth if you haven''t played there before," The Age quoted Ponting, as saying.

Adelaide, Dec. 2 : Australian skipper Ricky Ponting''s amazing slip catch to dismiss New Zealand batsman Jamie How has been described by faster bowler Brett Lee as the best he has seen.

Ponting made a spectacular leap to a wide second slip after Lee had squared up How with a ripper delivery and took the catch one-handed.

"That was the best catch I have seen live. There''s obviously been a lot of great catches around since cricket has been on. Playing in games and watching a game live, that is the most amazing catch I have ever seen," the Herald Sun quoted Lee, as saying.

Ponting, 33, expressed his delight by setting off on a celebratory sprint and out sprinting his pursuing teammates.

Adelaide, Dec. 2: Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has warned his team to step up for a heavyweight bout against South Africa later this month.

"We have to play at our optimum and there''s no hiding that fact. Right through India we were a long way below our best and we were a bit off our best in Brisbane. We''ve taken a step closer here. We know the South Africans are a well-balanced side who have a really good fast bowling attack and five of their batters are in the top 10 run-scorers for 2008,” Fox Sports quoted Ponting, as saying.

"They are a good side and we''re not kidding ourselves. We''ve got a long way to go if we want to stay the No1 team in the world," he added.

Adelaide, Dec. 1 : Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has said that all-rounders Shane Watson and Andrew Symonds are not vying or competing with each other for a place in the national squad.

"We''ve got to work out who we think our best four bowlers are. Here we thought three quicks and a spinner was our best attack. In Perth it could be different," Fox Sports quoted Ponting, as saying.

"If we did make that change, I don''t think we would bring another specialist fast bowler in. We would look at an all-rounder like Watson."

Sydney, Nov 24: Aussie cricket captain Ricky Ponting has put his weight behind his opener Mathew Hayden, saying that he was still left with much cricket in him, and that he was a dedicated batsman and who worked hard to get his batting flaws right.

The second Test against the Kiwis starting Friday at Adelaide would be 100th for 37-year-old Hayden.

“I know Matty’s game as well as anybody … I haven’t seen anything to say he is not as good as he has ever been. It was only a couple of Test matches ago that he made a terrific 80-odd in Delhi.”

Melbourne, Nov. 22: Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is probably going through a phase in his sporting life that was something similar to what his predecessor Allan Border went through in the mid-1980s.