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PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, Wednesday (Reuters) -After years of under-achievement Andrew Symonds is now playing close to his true potential, Australia captain Ricky Ponting said on Tuesday.

Symonds was Australia's batting hero in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final, scoring a vital unbeaten 91 against Sri Lanka to shepherd his side to 212 for seven and help them to a 48-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis method when rain intervened.

That innings gave him 326 runs for twice out in this tournament, an amazing contrast to his previous record which produced just two half-centuries in 54 matches. "I'm just happy for Symo that he is playing as well as he is," Ponting said. "He has been around the squad for a few years and probably hasn't played as well as he and we knew he could. "It is great for me to see and for the guys to watch him playing somewhere near his full potential."

There was particular satisfaction for Ponting as he had insisted on having the Queensland all-rounder in the squad, even though Symond's figures did not demand his inclusion.

"It was down to the last few positions in the touring party and I just got my point across to the selectors that I thought Andrew would be a very good inclusion in our squad," he said. "I have played a fair bit of cricket with Symo, I know what he is capable of and I think we are all now seeing what he is capable of as so far he has almost won two games off his own bat.

"I knew he had that in him and everyone who has ever played with him knew he had it in him and it is now coming out at vital times," Ponting added.

"If you look at his numbers they are very good, but more importantly is the way he has gone about his cricket since he has been out here.

"He has been good, positive and has worked on all aspects of his game, batting, both forms of bowling and in the field and he is just a lot more confident.

"That success in the first game against Pakistan (when he made 143 not out) makes it easier but he is more of a thinking cricketer than maybe he was in the past and I could not be happier with him,"

Symonds said hard work and belief had been the keys to his turnaround in form during the tournament.

"It has probably been practice and a lot of assistance from the team and people within the side," he said."I am believing in myself and after that first game my confidence has been as high as it ever has been.

"I am also now trusting myself to go out every time to produce the same thing." Ponting said he always believed Australia's total of 212 could be defended.

"We have played a couple of games here already and 208 was enough to win those matches."Once we managed to get just over 200 we knew that if we bowled well with the new ball and took early wickets we had a chance and we managed to do that."

Sri Lanka batsman Aravinda de Silva, who retired from international cricket at the end of the match, said his side's batsman should have been able to achieve their target. "We really didn't apply ourselves and I think we ought to be blamed," he said. "I feel we should have gone on to make 212, which was a very good total for us to chase." Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya added: "We let ourselves down."

Australia will play the winners of Thursday's semi-final in Durban between India and Kenya in the final at the Wanderers, Johannesburg on Sunday.

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