Cricket: Ponting Prepared to Raise the Stakes

Australia are ready to abandon their posturing as upstanding guardians of the noble game and meet English aggression in kind in today's NatWest Series final.

The world's leading team suspect England's hostility on the field has been backed up by a dirty-tricks campaign off it - and are steeling themselves for a return to the uncompromising ways of old.

Ricky Ponting, the captain, might be saying "I'm sure the final will be played intensely, but I'm sure there won't be anything out of line" but the dressing-room attitude is less forgiving after the treatment meted out to Matthew Hayden at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Hayden has made a career out of bullying bowlers by batting outside his crease and England are determined to counter it. It was just unfortunate that when Simon Jones, in his delivery stride, instantaneously flung the ball back and hit Hayden under the armpit, the batsman for once was standing blamelessly inside his crease.

Suggestions, as yet unsubstantiated, that Hayden also swore at a child in a guard of honour have also infuriated Australia, who have accused the ECB of a calculated leak. Australia will not walk through a line of flags of St George today - partly because they have refused to, partly because Lord's have deemed it tawdry.

Ponting is confident of Hayden's response. "He is a tough individual and exceptional player," he said. "We have seen on this tour some of his best batting for a long time."

But the more relevant message came from Hayden. "There is gamesmanship involved in the entire time we play cricket from the age of five upwards," he told the Melbourne Age. "That is how we play our cricket. If that is the way England want to play, then play on."

Australia's yearning to claim the moral high ground explained why Steve Waugh, their former captain, made great play of signing the Spirit of Cricket commitment. In England, led at the time by Nasser Hussain, it barely gained a mention.

It also influenced Adam Gilchrist, who caused general bemusement by walking against Bangladesh at Canterbury for a delivery that TV replays suggested he did not even hit.

England's batsmen will also walk today if they do not hit it - but only if a stump has been uprooted.