500 out of reach for now - Ponting

Ricky Ponting predicts one-day teams will reach totals of 500 in the future, but he doubts the massive score will be achieved during the World Cup. Ian and Greg Chappell raised the prospect this week and Ponting and Matthew Hayden considered the new mark after training in St Vincent for Australia's first warm-up match against Zimbabwe.

"We laugh [at 500] but we laughed at 400 as well," Hayden told AAP. "Not less than a year ago we were saying 400 was not possible." Australia broke the record by reaching 4 for 434 against South Africa in Johannesburg before losing the match.

Batsmen would have to score at 10 an over throughout the innings to reach 500 and when asked whether it was achievable Ponting said: "That's a lot. Maybe one day. I'm not sure it will happen in this competition."

Hayden is recovering from a broken toe suffered during his Australian-record 181 in New Zealand and he expects "a lot of runs" to be scored in the World Cup. He hopes to be ready for Australia's opening match against Scotland next Wednesday and said Twenty20 had helped batsmen take more risks.

"The older generation of cricketers say it's bat versus ball and bat has been winning because of bigger bats and smaller outfields and flatter wickets," Hayden said. "But the reality is that our bowlers ... are under pressure a lot and they are getting exposed a lot under those scenarios as well because batsmen are no longer prepared to not take a risk."

The Caribbean's smaller grounds and quick outfields have made the batsmen excited, especially when they come up against the tournament minnows. Sri Lanka's 9 for 443 last year against The Netherlands, who are in the group of Australia and South Africa, is the highest one-day total.