LETHAL Brett Lee will be asked to bowl flat out and give England's fragile top order a torrid working over today as Australia seeks a record-breaking win in its final World Cup preliminary match.
Lee will open the bowling with Glenn McGrath after fellow quick Jason Gillespie was last night ruled out with an achilles heel injury.
It forced the South Australian out of the match against Zimbabwe on Monday and flared again at training yesterday.
Skipper Ricky Ponting wants high-octane Lee to deliver a repeat of the menacing and bruising spell which left him fearing for the safety of the Namibian batsmen on Thursday.
Lee bowls at his best when ordered to roughen up the opposition and Ponting may give him the new ball at St George's Park.
"I think that's the way he bowls his best and I think that's good for the rest of our team to see him running in and doing that," Ponting said.
"It gives a lot of the other guys in the field a bit of energy and a bit of life.
"Obviously it intimidates the opposition so I would like to see him do it every game."
Ponting believes openers Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight are crucial to England and wants Lee to help maintain the stranglehold Australia enjoyed over the pair last summer.
Knight scored a century against Australia in the opening VB series game at the SCG but his form then slipped, while Trescothick's lack of footwork to balls angled across him was exploited mercilessly.
"The way they played us back in Australia last year they really tried to attack us early with their openers, Trescothick and Knight," Ponting said.
"But as the series went on Brett in particular worked out the right ways to bowl to them. It's important we keep that going.
"If we can get stuck into them early, get them out and get into the middle order, then we are going to be halfway there."
Lee's ferocious spell at the Namibians, where he constantly unleashed 150km/h thunderbolts, was designed to send a message to England and other heavyweight sides as the tournament soon shifts to the Super Six.
"Pace is my biggest asset, that's why I am in the team," Lee said.
Lee was named man of the series and finals for his efforts in this summer's tri-series against England and Sri Lanka, where he scooped 18 wickets at 18.78.
His scorching 5-30 in the second final at the MCG, which included three wickets in his last two overs, has left an indelible memory on the English, who fell five runs short of victory.
England skipper Nasser Hussain said: "We have got one game left and we came within five runs of beating Australia last time.
"But whoever wins this World Cup is going to have to beat them (Australia) so Sunday is a good enough time to do it."
Ponting said Lee was dangerous because he could intimidate with the new ball and later cause as much damage when it was worn. "If he can get it right at 150km/h, there's not too many batsmen who are going to, first of all, keep him out, second of all hit him for a boundary," Ponting said.
But while the Australians are guaranteed to finish on top of Pool A no matter the result, England's hopes of playing on will be extremely shaky if it loses.
Hussain and his men remain in a dogfight with India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe for the two remaining spots in their pool to progress through to the next round.
Knight has a sore knee but is likely to play while struggling allrounder Ronnie Irani is expected to be replaced by spinner Ashley Giles.
"The Australia game is going to be the biggest one in my career because it stands for so much," Knight said. "It is a massive, massive game."
-Jon Pierik in Port Elizabeth