Cape Town: The semi-final clash in the ICC World Twenty20 Championship at the Newlands cricket ground here on Saturday left New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori with a bitter tongue, and it had nothing to do with the crushing defeat against Pakistan. The left-arm spinner suggested that Pakistan had acted against the spirit of the game, when Imran Nazir called for a runner citing groin injury.

The New Zealand players believe Nazir had faked the injury. "We are disappointed," said Vettori, "The way he was charging down the wicket, running around and finally leapt in his teammate's arms proved he was not injured. This is not the way we play our cricket."

On their part, the Pakistanis insist Nazir was injured and he couldn't run. "He definitely had a groin injury and he needed a runner. Nothing more should be looked into it," said skipper Shoaib Malik.

Vettori, however, was full of praise for seamer Umar Gul. "When someone takes three for 15 in a Twenty20 game, it simply kills you," he said.

For Pakistan, this Ramzaan is a special occasion, like it was in 1992 when they won the World Cup in the holy month. "The entire nation is praying for us and we hope to give them this World Cup as Idd ul Fitr gift," said Malik.

Added Malik, 'Hum apni jaan laga denge (we will fight with all our might) but we will win this Cup." His sentiments were echoed by Gul, declared man of the match. He said, "Now, we just have to win this World Cup. It is a special occasion for all of us and we will do everything we can to win."

Talking about his preparation, Gul said, "We had camps prior to this event where we practiced bowling yorkers and other stuff. Aaquib Javed, the former Pakistan paceman, helped me and lot and I also benefited from attending camps conducted by Wasim Akram."

Cape Town: The semi-final clash in the ICC World Twenty20 Championship at the Newlands cricket ground here on Saturday left New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori with a bitter tongue, and it had nothing to do with the crushing defeat against Pakistan. The left-arm spinner suggested that Pakistan had acted against the spirit of the game, when Imran Nazir called for a runner citing groin injury.

The New Zealand players believe Nazir had faked the injury. "We are disappointed," said Vettori, "The way he was charging down the wicket, running around and finally leapt in his teammate's arms proved he was not injured. This is not the way we play our cricket."

On their part, the Pakistanis insist Nazir was injured and he couldn't run. "He definitely had a groin injury and he needed a runner. Nothing more should be looked into it," said skipper Shoaib Malik.

Vettori, however, was full of praise for seamer Umar Gul. "When someone takes three for 15 in a Twenty20 game, it simply kills you," he said.

For Pakistan, this Ramzaan is a special occasion, like it was in 1992 when they won the World Cup in the holy month. "The entire nation is praying for us and we hope to give them this World Cup as Idd ul Fitr gift," said Malik.

Added Malik, 'Hum apni jaan laga denge (we will fight with all our might) but we will win this Cup." His sentiments were echoed by Gul, declared man of the match. He said, "Now, we just have to win this World Cup. It is a special occasion for all of us and we will do everything we can to win."

Talking about his preparation, Gul said, "We had camps prior to this event where we practiced bowling yorkers and other stuff. Aaquib Javed, the former Pakistan paceman, helped me and lot and I also benefited from attending camps conducted by Wasim Akram."

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said his team would be seeking to repeat history after they cruised to a six-wicket win in their ICC World Twenty20 semi-final against New Zealand at Newlands on Saturday.

"In 1992 Pakistan won the World Cup in the holy month of Ramadan after beating New Zealand in the semi-final," said Malik. The current tournament is also being played during Ramadan and Malik said his players were confident they could achieve victory in Monday's final in Johannesburg.

"We are playing like a team," said Malik, who felt Pakistan were always in control against the Kiwis.

Fast bowler Umar Gul took three for 15 in four overs as Pakistan restricted New Zealand to 143 for eight before opening batsman Imran Nazir hit a dashing 59 to lead Pakistan to victory with seven balls to spare.

Gul produced a high-quality display of accurate and hostile bowling as New Zealand were unable to capitalise on a promising start after winning the toss and deciding to bat.

"Pakistan bowled and fielded pretty well," said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori. "We got ourselves into bit of a mire and couldn't get any momentum going."

For New Zealand it was yet another stumble at the semi-final stage of a world tournament. "We need to find a way, first to get back into a semi-final and then to get over that hurdle," said Vettori.

Ross Taylor was New Zealand's top scorer with 37 not out off 23 balls, including 17 off the last over, bowled by Mohammad Asif.

Rain interrupted New Zealand's innings when they were 44 for no wicket after 6.2 overs, with Lou Vincent on 25 and Brendon McCullum on 16.

But Vincent was out for 28 nine balls after the resumption, superbly caught and bowled when he hammered a straight drive against left-arm spinner Fawad Alam.

New Zealand's innings never regained its earlier momentum, with Gul, who started bowling in the 12th over, keeping the pressure on the batsmen.

Gul took two wickets in his second over, dismissing Scott Styris and Peter Fulton, and had Jacob Oram caught behind in his third over.

Taylor was involved in two mix-ups which led to the run-outs of captain Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond, who both sacrificed themselves so that Taylor could continue batting.

Alam, 21, the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in Pakistan's domestic 20-overs competition, took two for 29 in his second Twenty20 international appearance.

Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Nazir batted aggressively to put on 60 for Pakistan's first wicket before Hafeez was leg before to Scott Styris off the first ball of the eighth over.

Despite needing a runner because of a groin strain, Nazir went for his shots to hit 59 off 41 balls with five sixes and three fours.

Vettori said that although New Zealand had allowed Nazir to have a runner, he felt the player had moved freely both at the crease and when he ran on to celebrate Pakistan's win. "It's not the way we play the game," he said.

Nazir's dismissal by off-spinner Jeetan Patel was quickly followed by those of Younus Khan and Shahid Afridi.

But Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq ensured Pakistan would play in the final with an unbeaten stand of 36. Malik finished the match with a six off Patel.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said his team would be seeking to repeat history after they cruised to a six-wicket win in their ICC World Twenty20 semi-final against New Zealand at Newlands on Saturday.

"In 1992 Pakistan won the World Cup in the holy month of Ramadan after beating New Zealand in the semi-final," said Malik. The current tournament is also being played during Ramadan and Malik said his players were confident they could achieve victory in Monday's final in Johannesburg.

"We are playing like a team," said Malik, who felt Pakistan were always in control against the Kiwis.

Fast bowler Umar Gul took three for 15 in four overs as Pakistan restricted New Zealand to 143 for eight before opening batsman Imran Nazir hit a dashing 59 to lead Pakistan to victory with seven balls to spare.

Gul produced a high-quality display of accurate and hostile bowling as New Zealand were unable to capitalise on a promising start after winning the toss and deciding to bat.

"Pakistan bowled and fielded pretty well," said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori. "We got ourselves into bit of a mire and couldn't get any momentum going."

For New Zealand it was yet another stumble at the semi-final stage of a world tournament. "We need to find a way, first to get back into a semi-final and then to get over that hurdle," said Vettori.

Ross Taylor was New Zealand's top scorer with 37 not out off 23 balls, including 17 off the last over, bowled by Mohammad Asif.

Rain interrupted New Zealand's innings when they were 44 for no wicket after 6.2 overs, with Lou Vincent on 25 and Brendon McCullum on 16.

But Vincent was out for 28 nine balls after the resumption, superbly caught and bowled when he hammered a straight drive against left-arm spinner Fawad Alam.

New Zealand's innings never regained its earlier momentum, with Gul, who started bowling in the 12th over, keeping the pressure on the batsmen.

Gul took two wickets in his second over, dismissing Scott Styris and Peter Fulton, and had Jacob Oram caught behind in his third over.

Taylor was involved in two mix-ups which led to the run-outs of captain Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond, who both sacrificed themselves so that Taylor could continue batting.

Alam, 21, the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in Pakistan's domestic 20-overs competition, took two for 29 in his second Twenty20 international appearance.

Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Nazir batted aggressively to put on 60 for Pakistan's first wicket before Hafeez was leg before to Scott Styris off the first ball of the eighth over.

Despite needing a runner because of a groin strain, Nazir went for his shots to hit 59 off 41 balls with five sixes and three fours.

Vettori said that although New Zealand had allowed Nazir to have a runner, he felt the player had moved freely both at the crease and when he ran on to celebrate Pakistan's win. "It's not the way we play the game," he said.

Nazir's dismissal by off-spinner Jeetan Patel was quickly followed by those of Younus Khan and Shahid Afridi.

But Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq ensured Pakistan would play in the final with an unbeaten stand of 36. Malik finished the match with a six off Patel.

India wins the toss and elects to bat in the vital semi-final encounter against Australia. Pakistan have already qualified for the grand finale in Johannesburg on Monday.

India have made just one change to their side – Yuvraj Singh returns in place of Dinesh Karthik. Australia have drafted in wicket-keeper batsman Brad Haddin in place of the injured Shane Watson.

Australia Squad
Adam Gilchrist (Captain and wicket-keeper), Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hodge, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken.

India Squad
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain and wicket-keeper), Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Joginder Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, S Sreesanth

Officials
Chris Broad (match referee)
Asad Rauf and Mark Benson (umpires)
Billy Doctrove (third)
Tony Hill (fourth)

India wins the toss and elects to bat in the vital semi-final encounter against Australia. Pakistan have already qualified for the grand finale in Johannesburg on Monday.

India have made just one change to their side – Yuvraj Singh returns in place of Dinesh Karthik. Australia have drafted in wicket-keeper batsman Brad Haddin in place of the injured Shane Watson.

Australia Squad
Adam Gilchrist (Captain and wicket-keeper), Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hodge, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken.

India Squad
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain and wicket-keeper), Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Joginder Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, S Sreesanth

Officials
Chris Broad (match referee)
Asad Rauf and Mark Benson (umpires)
Billy Doctrove (third)
Tony Hill (fourth)

Cape Town: Umar Gul's sensational seam bowling and Imran Nazir's half-century ensured Pakistan a place in the ICC World Twenty20 final at New Zealand's expense.

Chasing a target of 144 runs, Pakistan won the semi-final encounter at the Newlands cricket ground here by six wickets after knocking off 147 runs in 18.5 overs. Skipper Shoaib Malik with 26 and Misbah ul-Haq with 16 saw their side through.

An opening partnership of 60 runs in 7.1 overs between Nazir and Mohammed Hafeez set things up for Pakistan. Hafeez smashed 32 off 21 balls with three fours and two sixes but it was Nazir who stole the show.

Batting with a runner, Nazir slammed 59 off 41 balls with five towering sixes and three fours to negate the New Zealand bowling attack. His attacking batsmanship got the crowds going, and the adrenalin rush was intense as ball flew to all corners of the park.

Jeetan Patel got the breakthrough when he trapped Nazir in front of the stumps, and skipper Daniel Vettori ended Younus Khan's misery, who scratched around for 15 balls, making four runs. Earlier, Hafeez was trapped in front of the stumps by Scott Styris.

Shahid Afridi fell tamely to Shane Bond for just six, and how Vettori would have wished for just 25 extra runs to defend. Pakistan emerged victorious simply because New Zealand didn't have any runs to play with.

Vettori finished with one for 22 in his four overs, Bond took one for 33 in his four while Patel ended up with one for 25 in 3.5 overs. Styris ended up with one for 14 in his three overs.

In their innings, New Zealand batters eliminated risks associated with T20 cricket and tried playing in a lot more conventional style to pay a heavy price in the end.

After deciding to take the first strike on a day marred by some rain – which halted the proceedings for 33 minutes – New Zealand managed 143 for eight in their 20 overs, thanks to exceptional pace bowling from Umar Gul.

Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum, the two opening batsmen, put on 50 for the first wicket before left-arm spinner Fawad Alam took a brilliant catch off his bowling to break the partnership. Vincent fell for 28 runs off the equal number of balls.

Afridi struck next with his quick leg-spinners, dismissing McCullum for 26, made off 27 balls, but it was Gul who at that stage put Pakistan in the driver's seat. In his second over, Gul dismissed Styris and Peter Fulton to skid the New Zealand innings somewhat.

Styris fell for 11 after hitting a four and a six and Fulton hit a full toss to skipper Malik after making ten.

Gul bagged three for 15 in his four overs, while Afridi was steady as well, taking one for 24 in his four.

The real danger for Pakistan arrived in the form of Craig McMillan, who has been on a six-hitting spree of sorts in this tournament. He immediately caused some concerns in the Pakistan camp when he smashed Alam for a huge straight six.

However, the fears were short-lived as McMillan was caught on the long-off fence by Younus Khan off Alam. He made 12 off six balls. The young man, playing his first match in the competition, was most impressive, returning with figures of two for 29 in his three overs.

The best bowler in the park today for Pakistan was Gul, by a mile. He bowled fast, and in the corridor, troubling all the Kiwi batters. Gul gave nothing away, and the bounce he generated off a slow Newlands wicket was quite sensational. Hailing from Nawakali in the North-West Frontier Province, Gul comes from the same town that produced squash legend Jahangir Khan.

For New Zealand, Ross Taylor held the innings somewhat with an unbeaten 37. New Zealand, however, would have liked a score of above 170, as they were 74 for two at the half-way stage.

New Zealand team
Brendon McCullum, Lou Vincent, Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Craig McMillan, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, Mark Gillespie, Jeetan Patel

Pakistan team
Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Younus Khan, Fawad Alam, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif

Officials
Mike Procter (match referee)
Daryl Harper and Simon Taufel (umpires)
Ian Howell (third)
Nigel Llong (fourth).

Cape Town: Umar Gul's sensational seam bowling and Imran Nazir's half-century ensured Pakistan a place in the ICC World Twenty20 final at New Zealand's expense.

Chasing a target of 144 runs, Pakistan won the semi-final encounter at the Newlands cricket ground here by six wickets after knocking off 147 runs in 18.5 overs. Skipper Shoaib Malik with 26 and Misbah ul-Haq with 16 saw their side through.

An opening partnership of 60 runs in 7.1 overs between Nazir and Mohammed Hafeez set things up for Pakistan. Hafeez smashed 32 off 21 balls with three fours and two sixes but it was Nazir who stole the show.

Batting with a runner, Nazir slammed 59 off 41 balls with five towering sixes and three fours to negate the New Zealand bowling attack. His attacking batsmanship got the crowds going, and the adrenalin rush was intense as ball flew to all corners of the park.

Jeetan Patel got the breakthrough when he trapped Nazir in front of the stumps, and skipper Daniel Vettori ended Younus Khan's misery, who scratched around for 15 balls, making four runs. Earlier, Hafeez was trapped in front of the stumps by Scott Styris.

Shahid Afridi fell tamely to Shane Bond for just six, and how Vettori would have wished for just 25 extra runs to defend. Pakistan emerged victorious simply because New Zealand didn't have any runs to play with.

Vettori finished with one for 22 in his four overs, Bond took one for 33 in his four while Patel ended up with one for 25 in 3.5 overs. Styris ended up with one for 14 in his three overs.

In their innings, New Zealand batters eliminated risks associated with T20 cricket and tried playing in a lot more conventional style to pay a heavy price in the end.

After deciding to take the first strike on a day marred by some rain – which halted the proceedings for 33 minutes – New Zealand managed 143 for eight in their 20 overs, thanks to exceptional pace bowling from Umar Gul.

Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum, the two opening batsmen, put on 50 for the first wicket before left-arm spinner Fawad Alam took a brilliant catch off his bowling to break the partnership. Vincent fell for 28 runs off the equal number of balls.

Afridi struck next with his quick leg-spinners, dismissing McCullum for 26, made off 27 balls, but it was Gul who at that stage put Pakistan in the driver's seat. In his second over, Gul dismissed Styris and Peter Fulton to skid the New Zealand innings somewhat.

Styris fell for 11 after hitting a four and a six and Fulton hit a full toss to skipper Malik after making ten.

Gul bagged three for 15 in his four overs, while Afridi was steady as well, taking one for 24 in his four.

The real danger for Pakistan arrived in the form of Craig McMillan, who has been on a six-hitting spree of sorts in this tournament. He immediately caused some concerns in the Pakistan camp when he smashed Alam for a huge straight six.

However, the fears were short-lived as McMillan was caught on the long-off fence by Younus Khan off Alam. He made 12 off six balls. The young man, playing his first match in the competition, was most impressive, returning with figures of two for 29 in his three overs.

The best bowler in the park today for Pakistan was Gul, by a mile. He bowled fast, and in the corridor, troubling all the Kiwi batters. Gul gave nothing away, and the bounce he generated off a slow Newlands wicket was quite sensational. Hailing from Nawakali in the North-West Frontier Province, Gul comes from the same town that produced squash legend Jahangir Khan.

For New Zealand, Ross Taylor held the innings somewhat with an unbeaten 37. New Zealand, however, would have liked a score of above 170, as they were 74 for two at the half-way stage.

New Zealand team
Brendon McCullum, Lou Vincent, Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Craig McMillan, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, Mark Gillespie, Jeetan Patel

Pakistan team
Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Younus Khan, Fawad Alam, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif

Officials
Mike Procter (match referee)
Daryl Harper and Simon Taufel (umpires)
Ian Howell (third)
Nigel Llong (fourth).

Durban: Australian coach Tim Nielsen has conceded that India will start the ICC World Twenty20 semifinal with a slight advantage because it has played all but one of its four completed matches at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground where it enjoys solid support from fans to the extent that it has become some kind a 'home base'.

"It seems there is a different way of playing in Durban compared to the other grounds in the tournament," he said of the track on which bowlers have been able to challenge the batsmen to come up with something really solid and not flashy. "That is something we need to get on top of when we play India.

"I am certainly not surprised that India has made it to the semifinals," he said. "It has a lot of young and enthusiastic players who are relishing the opportunity to play for their country, which is fantastic. We have seen some of these players at our academy over the last two or three years. RP singhand Dinesh Karthik have been there. Some of our guys have played against Rohit Sharma a couple of years so. We know a little about these players and that these are fine cricketers."

He lamented the fact that Australia has had a busy schedule. "We have travelled a bit back and forth. From Johannesburg to Cape Town and now here to Durban. And we only get the one day's rest between games. So finding the time to continue your preparation, your skill work is tough," he said. "That is the nature of the beast. T20 is all about adapting to the conditions as quickly as you can because if you don't, you might find yourselves on the back foot and under pressure. We need to make sure we are switched on from ball one."

Nielsen believed that while it will get down to the team that makes more runs, the bowlers have come into their own here. "We haven't seen the high scores that we have in Johannesburg or even in Cape Town," he said. "Whoever bowls first will have a chance to make an impact on the game and the team that bowls second will see the ball zip around a bit when the lights come on."

For all that, the Australian coach said that the team was getting better every day. "We have come off a long break and it is nice to have a bit of competitive cricket. The less competitive games before a big tournament do not let you find your feet or get back into the swing of things or have the pressure of winning or losing," he said. "I suppose you don't get that kind of contest in practice games. It is great that we could find our way through to this stage of the tournament. We are hitting the semifinals in as good a shape as we can be."

Nielsen admitted that coming off the break, Australia was a little bit unsure how the tournament would work and how T20 would go. "The guys in our international team have played only three or four T20 games each. And each time, it has been in a fun kind of scenario – during a break between Tests and ODIs," he said.

"Losing to Zimbabwe was a shot in the arm, a tonic. It was not a great fun that night as we would have hoped for but it squared us up to the target and made us focus that if we weren't quite right, we would be under pressure to keep going to the next stage of the tournament," Nielsen said. "We are lucky in a way that happened. Most importantly, we got the time to practice and train right to get the skills rights gave the players the confidence that they can cope under pressure. When you are down in confidence and don't have the time to work on your cricket skills, you start doubting yourself a little bit. The more and more work we have done, the boys are comfortable with where they are at.

"It has been a bit harder for us that we haven't had a lot of T20 cricket at the domestic level that these guys have played. We also have had no cricket for a long time. So we did back our best group," he said of Australia's selection. "We did back the guys who played so well at the World Cup 2007 to do the job for us. Good cricketers are good cricketers, aren't they? Be it Test or ODI cricket, they have shown that when they are switched on they are more able to do that."

He is not worried that Australia's middle-order hasn't been tested severely so far. "They are working hard at the nets. They are getting their volume in. We will take a 10-wicket victory everytime we can get one. Given the opportunity tomorrow night, if it is not Gilly and Haydo, we hope it will be somebody else," he said.

Durban: Australian coach Tim Nielsen has conceded that India will start the ICC World Twenty20 semifinal with a slight advantage because it has played all but one of its four completed matches at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground where it enjoys solid support from fans to the extent that it has become some kind a 'home base'.

"It seems there is a different way of playing in Durban compared to the other grounds in the tournament," he said of the track on which bowlers have been able to challenge the batsmen to come up with something really solid and not flashy. "That is something we need to get on top of when we play India.

"I am certainly not surprised that India has made it to the semifinals," he said. "It has a lot of young and enthusiastic players who are relishing the opportunity to play for their country, which is fantastic. We have seen some of these players at our academy over the last two or three years. RP singhand Dinesh Karthik have been there. Some of our guys have played against Rohit Sharma a couple of years so. We know a little about these players and that these are fine cricketers."

He lamented the fact that Australia has had a busy schedule. "We have travelled a bit back and forth. From Johannesburg to Cape Town and now here to Durban. And we only get the one day's rest between games. So finding the time to continue your preparation, your skill work is tough," he said. "That is the nature of the beast. T20 is all about adapting to the conditions as quickly as you can because if you don't, you might find yourselves on the back foot and under pressure. We need to make sure we are switched on from ball one."

Nielsen believed that while it will get down to the team that makes more runs, the bowlers have come into their own here. "We haven't seen the high scores that we have in Johannesburg or even in Cape Town," he said. "Whoever bowls first will have a chance to make an impact on the game and the team that bowls second will see the ball zip around a bit when the lights come on."

For all that, the Australian coach said that the team was getting better every day. "We have come off a long break and it is nice to have a bit of competitive cricket. The less competitive games before a big tournament do not let you find your feet or get back into the swing of things or have the pressure of winning or losing," he said. "I suppose you don't get that kind of contest in practice games. It is great that we could find our way through to this stage of the tournament. We are hitting the semifinals in as good a shape as we can be."

Nielsen admitted that coming off the break, Australia was a little bit unsure how the tournament would work and how T20 would go. "The guys in our international team have played only three or four T20 games each. And each time, it has been in a fun kind of scenario – during a break between Tests and ODIs," he said.

"Losing to Zimbabwe was a shot in the arm, a tonic. It was not a great fun that night as we would have hoped for but it squared us up to the target and made us focus that if we weren't quite right, we would be under pressure to keep going to the next stage of the tournament," Nielsen said. "We are lucky in a way that happened. Most importantly, we got the time to practice and train right to get the skills rights gave the players the confidence that they can cope under pressure. When you are down in confidence and don't have the time to work on your cricket skills, you start doubting yourself a little bit. The more and more work we have done, the boys are comfortable with where they are at.

"It has been a bit harder for us that we haven't had a lot of T20 cricket at the domestic level that these guys have played. We also have had no cricket for a long time. So we did back our best group," he said of Australia's selection. "We did back the guys who played so well at the World Cup 2007 to do the job for us. Good cricketers are good cricketers, aren't they? Be it Test or ODI cricket, they have shown that when they are switched on they are more able to do that."

He is not worried that Australia's middle-order hasn't been tested severely so far. "They are working hard at the nets. They are getting their volume in. We will take a 10-wicket victory everytime we can get one. Given the opportunity tomorrow night, if it is not Gilly and Haydo, we hope it will be somebody else," he said.