Now or never for Symonds

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Feb 2 AAP - Andrew Symonds has two warm-up matches to silence his growing band of critics, ease his anxious mind, repay the faith shown in him by selectors and earn the allrounders' berth for Australia's opening battle of the World Cup.

Fail, and the job will go to Ian Harvey or Brad Hogg.

Captain Ricky Ponting believes the notoriously inconsistent Symonds, a furious hitter of the ball and handy offspinner-cum-medium pacer when he gets it right, stands just "one little game" away from the kind of dominant performance he so badly needs to invigorate his flagging international career.

Australia plays North West province on Tuesday and Thursday in Potchefstroom before its first match of the tournament against Pakistan in Johannesburg on February 11.

"It's in there, we know that it's there, just waiting to come out," Ponting said of Symonds' match-winning capabilities.

"He's probably trying too hard.

"It's a hard situation. I've been there before as well. Every game you're trying to go out there and impress but it doesn't work that way.

"In one-day cricket the more pressure you put on yourself the harder it becomes. That's probably what he's doing at the moment. It's not far away and I hope it comes out pretty soon."

Symonds, who admitted he was stunned when chosen as Shane Watson's understudy for the World Cup, now has start pulling his weight following Watson's withdrawal with a back injury.

The burly 27-year-old Queenslander had a disastrous tri-series at home, averaging four with the bat and 82 with the ball from five matches, although his fielding was dynamite.

His last innings ended when he was bowled by Ronnie Irani trying to loft the innocuous England medium-pacer over mid-on.

"Looking back to that second final in Melbourne, the ball he got out on, if he had have hit that over mid-on and got away with it a bit, released a bit of the pressure, then things might have changed," said Ponting.

"The field would have changed, they might have put mid-on back, it would have made it easier for him to get off strike.

"Things could have changed around then. It was a bit the same with Watto. Once he realised that he could succeed at this level then he had a bit more confidence and started to play a bit better.

"That's all it's going to take for Symmo as well. Hopefully that will come out in these practice games."

Harvey will keep Symonds honest, desperate for an opportunity, while left-arm wrist spinner and tidy batsman Hogg is right in the picture for the allrounder's role after his determined 71 not out from 77 balls in the second tri-series final at the MCG.

"His batting has obviously improved a lot," said Ponting.

"He was very sensible in what he did, his approach the other night was very good. He was slow starting but got in and got to 70 off 70-odd. If it comes to it, maybe he could play that role.

"But we've got Symonds and Harvey ... we'll give everyone a hit-out in these first two games and probably concentrate more on the selection of the side after those couple of games."

Ponting's other priority will be to ease fast bowlers Glenn McGrath (back strain) and Jason Gillespie (elbow) back into action while also giving Shane Warne another good spell as his recovery from a dislocated shoulder gathers momentum.

Australia will use 14 of its 15 players against North West, omitting Michael Bevan so he can nurse a torn groin muscle that might yet heal in time for the February 11 clash with Pakistan at the Wanderers, Johannesburg.