Ponting Keeps Foot On The Gas

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Ponting - no complacency.

By David Clough, PA Sport, St George's

Australia are already virtually assured of top spot in the World Cup Super Eight and the semi-final of their choice in St Lucia next week - but there will be no slackening of the pace against New Zealand.

Captain Ricky Ponting made that clear as he looked forward after the seven-wicket trouncing of an under-strength Sri Lanka to the Aussies' final last-four qualifying match on Friday.

There are always scores to settle and pride at stake in trans-Tasman encounters. But for Ponting, momentum is the prize this time for his team who have now won 20 World Cup matches on the trot - dating back to 1999.

"We are never going to sit back and be happy with what we've done, what we've achieved or where we're at," he said, to no-one's evident surprise.

"We'd like to think we can improve in the New Zealand game, win it and go into the semis with a whole lot of momentum behind us."

He expects fellow semi-finalists New Zealand to be equally determined in the last match of the tournament to be staged at Grenada's Queen's Park national stadium.

"I'm sure New Zealand will be in exactly the same boat as us, going into that game," he said.

"They'll obviously want to beat us and we'll want to beat them. "They've got a good record against us of late, having won the three games in New Zealand just before we came away."

That unexpected Chappell-Hadlee series triumph for the Kiwis came against an Aussie team without the rested Ponting.

"Along with us they've been the other form team of this whole tournament," he said.

"Coming here, I thought Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand would be the stand-out teams we needed to be wary of."

Ponting has significant respect for the largely unflashy talents inhabiting the Kiwi squad.

"These sorts of conditions suit their gameplan," he said.

"They've got guys who play spin bowling and slower bowling pretty well. They've got guys that take the pace off the ball and cut the ball a lot in their bowling options.

"It hasn't surprised me, the way they've played, and I'm looking forward to the game against them."

Ponting does not expect New Zealand to rest key players, as Sri Lanka controversially did yesterday - much to the surprise but also delight of the Aussies.

The captain noted especially the absence of master off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in a match which proved to be very one-sided.

"That's one thing I don't understand," he said of Murali's omission.

"I would have thought it was a good opportunity for him to have a crack at our batsmen.

"It doesn't worry our batters at all, because we know pretty much the way he goes about things. We play him as well as anybody around the world anyway."

Nathan Bracken's four for 19 did most perhaps to stunt Sri Lanka's batting - but left-arm wrist-spinner Brad Hogg took two important wickets, including that of Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene with a googly.

Ponting has been most impressed with Hogg over the past month in the Caribbean.

"Right through the middle period I always felt he was going to be our best wicket-taking option - which is why I kept him going," he said.

"He's bowled beautifully through the tournament, bowling as well now as he ever has - and he's beating a lot of batsmen with his variations.

"He's taking a lot of wickets through the tournament with his 'wrong-un' and he's bowling it very well at the moment. More importantly, he's probably thinking through his bowling a lot better now than he ever has."

Hogg is an improved performer, according to Ponting.

"He's using his variations very well and at the right times - which he probably didn't always do," he added.

"He's been a very important player for us."

Australia's one concern going into what they hope will be their final three matches of the tournament is the fitness of all-rounder Shane Watson.

The Queenslander has missed Australia's last three matches because of a calf injury but has long been expected to return in time to face New Zealand - with a view to playing in the semi-finals and final too.

That still appears to be the plan, although there was a minor hint in Ponting's most recent remarks that Australia may yet be prepared to sacrifice the balance Watson brings to the team. "It's a positive for us. I spoke to the physio today, and he's actually been moving quite freely for a while now," Ponting said of Watson.

"He evens the balance of our side out very well. He's played some good little knocks in this tournament batting down the order. It will be a nice little problem to have actually - when he becomes 100% fit again."