Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist insists the Australian squad is not complacent despite being undefeated in the tri-nations one-day international series with England and New Zealand.
The Australians continued their run of victories when they beat England at the Gabba in Brisbane on Friday by four wickets.
But they were forced to fight hard for the win despite bowling the tourists out for just 155.
PHOTO: EPA
They lost six wickets in reaching the victory target of 156 and were in deep trouble at 108 for five before Mike Hussey came to the rescue and guided them home with an unbeaten 46.
Australia eventually cruised to victory and secured a bonus point to almost guarantee themselves a place in the final of the tournament and now travel to Sydney to meet New Zealand, who have lost both their matches so far.
Gilchrist hit back at suggestions the Australians were taking the series lightly and said good English bowling, a tricky wicket and poor shot selection were the reasons for Friday's poor showing.
"There's no complacency in this team -- the competition for spots in our team is at the highest level and that in itself means our training sessions are really intense and at the top level, and that is being seen in what we do out on the field," Gilchrist said.
"It was good for guys to be put under pressure, but never have I thought we were getting lazy or taking anything for granted."
However, the Australians will be eyeing World Cup places as much as their New Zealand opposition today.
While the home side go into the match with everyone fit and in top form, the New Zealanders will be missing pace spearhead Shane Bond, the one bowler to consistently trouble the Australian top order.
Bond is out with a back injury and his place has been taken by 32-year-old Michael Mason.
The Black Caps are also missing key players Scott Styris, Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills through injury.
Styris and Oram will rejoin the squad before New Zealand's clash with England in Adelaide on Tuesday, but Mills may miss the entire series.
In Bond's absence Wellington fast bowler Mark Gillespie, who has impressed in the first two games of the series, will take the new ball.
"The new ball is what I know," Gillespie said. "I've done it all my life so the extra responsibility, I'll just thrive off it."
"You work on bowling plans to each batter but as far as their name goes, they're just another batter," Gillespie said. "As far as their superstar status goes, it doesn't worry me."
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later