Kudos To The Aussie Attitude

image courtesy cricinfo.com

It was not a mere nine-wicket victory; it was a statement, and a very powerful one at that. The Aussie attitude was at its glowing best. Ricky Ponting could have well decided to bat on winning the toss and it would have helped his top-order to bloat their career averages and in turn set some new records, but they wanted to prove something else: The distance in class between the two sides. They did that with ruthless precision and took another huge step towards a hat-trick of titles.

The Australian fielding stood out in a clash that was expected to be one-way traffic right from the start. The intensity was high and they never took the pedal off the gas. The manner in which Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds ran their singles and twos was testimony to their positive approach.

The half-day cricket that was available was another example on why Australia has gone ahead of the other sides in world cricket. They are playing a brand of cricket that others can only hope to catch up with. Unless they are caught chasing on a slow wicket I don't see them being beaten in this World Cup.

The match today between New Zealand and South Africa presents a contest of a different nature and much closer game is on the cards. The semifinal pairing might get altered with the result of this game. South Africa will start as favourites as they bat deeper and better.

Both sides play with a similar style and much depends on their razo- sharp fielding to keep the opposing batsmen from breaking free. New Zealand were found wanting on a few areas when they came across a tougher opponent in Sri Lanka. They have some areas to cover and the sooner they do that, the better for them.

It is another opportunity for Graeme Smith and his men to put off the Bangladesh debacle as a bad dream. These two sides to me come close to match Australia in athleticism and fitness and both sides must be there in the semis along with Lanka to provide the toughest possible fight for the world Champions. Anything less, and the defending champs look like running away with it.