Australian One Day cricket captain Ricky Ponting admitted Wednesday Australians would continue trying to unsettle opponents with unrelenting sledging.

However, Ponting referred to the verbal assaults as "friendly banter".

"I don't mind a bit of the friendly banter going on but I've said right from the start that I don't like, and won't like, any personal barrages towards anyone," he said.

Australian cricketers were last week accused of being serial sledgers by South African players.

South African rookie Graeme Smith described their verbal assaults in the February-March Test series as "below the belt".

He singled out opener Matthew Hayden as the worst culprit, although he named Ponting, star spinner Shane Warne, Mark Waugh Justin Langer and wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist as just as foulmouthed.

Ponting rejected the allegations.

"The umpires and the match referees in that series didn't think we stepped over the line so that is why it is so shocking to actually read about some of the things that were supposedly said," Ponting said.

"We did say a few things in the one-dayers but that was more lighthearted and playing on the fact that he wasn't hitting the ball that well."