Aussie skipper warns his batters about Bond's threat

Sydney, Apr 17 (UNI) Wary of the threat posed by New Zealand pace spearhead Shane Bond, Austrailian captain Ricky Ponting has warned his batsmen to pay the utmost attention while facing the speedster.

''Bond is one of those guys that you have to pay the utmost attention to. He is very, very dangerous with the new ball and Stephen Fleming uses him as a strike bowler through the middle to try and break partnerships,'' Ponting was quoted by the 'Herald Sun' as saying.

''He is an unusual bowler as he drifts the ball back into the right-hander with the new ball. He uses his yorkers very well,'' he added.

Bond, who is enjoying a superb World Cup with 12 wickets so far under his kitty at a miserly average of 12.83, has dismissed the Aussie skipper six times in the 11 matches he played with their arch-rivals.

However, the former policeman, who has a rare combination of high-octane pace, unnerving bounce and swing believes that the world champions are not invincible as they too make mistakes under pressure, but the real chance lies if the opponent can cash on those mistakes.

''At home we showed that Australia can be defeated. We chased down big scores and got to the business end of the game when we were in with a chance. Just like anybody else, they make mistakes when they are placed under pressure,'' said Bond.

''We always believe that if we can take Australia down to the last 10 overs of the game, then we have a chance,'' he added.

UNI