Australian behaviour must improve - Ponting

MELBOURNE, Jan 20 AAP - The Australian cricket team knows it must lift itself when it comes to player behaviour, according to one-day captain Ricky Ponting.

The topic was added to today's regular meeting between the Australian Cricket Board and the players after Darren Lehmann's five-game suspension on the weekend.

A board spokesman said a "discussion" took place on the issue during the meeting.

Lehmann suffered the ban because of a racist outburst just outside the Australian dressing room during last Wednesday's one-dayer against Sri Lanka in Brisbane.

"I suppose with Darren the other day, down in the change rooms, it was something he probably regretted doing," Ponting said before the meeting.

"It was just a bit of a wake-up for all of us, you are in the public eye all the time and you've got to be very careful what you say and what you do all of the time.

"You can't let yourself slip up at all and we've just had a few slip-ups the last couple of weeks.

"A talking-to today from James (ACB chief executive James Sutherland) won't hurt us at all."

Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden also went before the match referee earlier this month during the fifth Ashes Test.

Ponting said the team wanted to have a good reputation in areas other than its outstanding on-field performance for the last few years.

"It's probably fair enough, there have been a few instances like the last Test match in Sydney and then Darren last week," he said.

"It's something we can address as a team - we've said for the last couple of years that we want to be known as good people and not just good players.

"I'm sure the players will be open-eared for that and they'll want to do the best they can.

"We can improve it, it actually has been a pretty conscious thing from the team."

Ponting added he had no problem ensuring his team-mates behaved better and thought peer pressure would help.

"It's standards that the whole side sets, not just myself," he said.

"What I say probably won't matter too much, you've got 10 or 11 eyes on you as well and people coming down on you."