BRIDGETOWN, April 28: Australia captain Ricky Ponting practised on Friday against a bowling machine set to simulate deliveries from Sri Lanka express bowler Lasith Malinga.

Malinga, who took four wickets in four balls in the second-stage Super Eights match against South Africa, returned after an injury break to bowl with ferocious pace against New Zealand in the semi-finals.

He missed the Super Eights match against the defending champions because of an ankle injury.

On Friday, coach John Buchanan held the ball at right angles to his body and moved his arm back and forward before putting it into the machine to accustom the batsmen to the eye level of Malinga's slingy side-on action.

“Malinga's action is pretty unique,” Ponting told a news conference after practice.

“You do a bit of top-up work with your skills and get some sort of idea or some sort of simulation on what you are going to come up against in a game tomorrow ... to get a bit of an idea where he is going to let the ball go from.

“He has obviously done a good job. I watched him against New Zealand the other day and he bowled very well. With the new ball he had most of their top-order batsmen in trouble.”—Reuters