Ricky Ponting would like his New Zealand opposite number Stephen Fleming to have nightmares about strike bowler Brett Lee on Monday night.

Australia's World Cup captain, however, may suffer disturbed sleep himself before Tuesday's Super Six encounter in Port Elizabeth.

Shane Bond, New Zealand's first consistently quick strike bowler, has played five one-dayers against Australia and removed Ponting each time.

Bond, indeed, may be the only player in the world game whose record against the world champions is significantly better than his overall career figures.

A couple of years ago, the 27-year-old right-armer from Christchurch seemed destined to put his career as a policeman before his cricket. But 21 wickets in a tri-series in Australia in 2002 changed all that.

"He ripped the heart out of us," Ponting said then. For the first time against the New Zealanders, the Australians found themselves facing a little 'chin music' of their own.

Bond has only been playing at international level for around a year but is already bracketed with the likes of Lee and Shoaib Akhtar.

Before the tournament, Pakistan batsman and Shoaib's team mate Inzamam-ul-Haq was asked which quick bowler he rated highest. He came up with Bond. "He's quick and he's strong and he moves the ball around," he said.

Bond has played 24 one-dayers, taking 41 wickets at an impressive 22.34 runs apiece. Against Australia, he boasts 16 victims, at an average of 12.93.

His best match figures of five for 25 came against them as well. He even averages 26 with the bat against Ponting's team.

New Zealand, more than any other team, seem to relish eyeball-to-eyeball scraps with the Australians and Bond's performances illustrate that perfectly.

His only concerns before Tuesday's game will be a slow St George's Park track -- "after about five or six overs it's pretty much straight up and down (in South Africa)...it's the end of the season and the surfaces are getting a little bit tired" -- and the heat.

HOSPITALISED

Bond, with nine World Cup wickets and who also has 38 victims in eight Tests, was hospitalised in Australia last year, suffering from heat problems, and once fainted in India while playing for New Zealand A.

"It's a long 50 overs in South Africa and at the end of it most of the bowlers are absolutely knackered, especially the quicks," he says.

"You feel your heart-rate going flat-out all the time; you're even sucking it in big-time when you're cruising around the outfield."

Bond will be sure to move beyond his cruising speed on Tuesday, especially when he sees Ponting's helmet grill at the far end.

Ponting said in the run-up to Port Elizabeth that Australia's quick bowlers would target Fleming and "come up with some good plans" to counter his batting at the head of the New Zealand order.

Fleming refused to counter. The Australians, he said, had played such pre-match "waste of breath" mind games for years.

Bond, whose one-day list of credits also include both Waugh twins, Michael Bevan (twice), Adam Gilchrist (twice) and Damien Martyn (twice), has also avoided public comment, true to his police training.