JOHANNESBURG, 11 February 2003 — Our preparation for the first couple of games has been based on rest and relaxation rather than vigorous training. The Australians arrived in South Africa and headed straight for our base at Potchefstroom, where we took it easy so that we could get over our jet lag as well as the strains of a pretty hectic VB Series. This well-earned rest was just what the doctor ordered for all of us, and the benefits were there to see in the way we performed in our two practice games.
A few of the guys, who were injured in the last couple of months, have recovered well with Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath having played both warm-up games. I’m glad to see that they have all come through those games well, and their reports confirm that they are match-fit for our crucial games against Pakistan and India this week. Michael Bevan, the other player, who was also on the injury list, is progressing very, very well. Unfortunately he will be missing the first game, since we don’t want to risk a relapse by rushing things. He will most certainly be ready for the game on Saturday, against India.
Our first game will be a replay of the final of the last World Cup, and we are aware that the Pakistan team will be eager to avenge that loss. We are pretty confident, however, that we are ready for whatever they have in store. It’s a coincidence that we played the first and second game of our one-day series against South Africa last year at the Wanderers and Centurion, respectively. We came through with wins in both games then, and we are working toward a repeat this time.
This does not mean that we are taking the opposition lightly. As a batsman, I rate the Pakistan bowling attack very high. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar are all world-class bowlers and we have to be at the top of our game to ensure that they cannot effect much damage. We have set plans for each of them, but all of us know that these guys have the ability to cause damage at the top and toward the end of the innings.
Any Pakistan-Australia encounter has an added dimension these days, thanks to the Shoaib-Brett Lee face-off. Both are very fine bowlers, similar in their ability to generate great pace and prodigious swing. Brett has improved tremendously in the last one year to become a very good one-day bowler. I hope he does not lose the accuracy and control he has developed in his quest for that extra bit of pace today. Shoaib is also a bowler who can create a big impact in a very short span of time, and he does have something extra in him when he comes against Australia. However, I think we have on the whole negotiated him well in our run-ins, and if we stick to the basics, there should be no problem for our batsmen. All the guys are really looking forward to getting out there and playing, after reading reams of newsprint, which has been spent on debating whether we will win a second successive World Cup.
We prefer to ignore such reports, and take things as they come. Sunday’s match between South Africa and West Indies showed us that there is no such thing as favorites or outsiders. We don’t think of ourselves as favorites, and we are aware that we will have to play good cricket against all the top sides to win this cup. As I have always said, we are here to win the World Cup not defend it. (Gameplan)
