I’m happy that we are getting another look-in at St. George’s Park before the big game at this venue, the semifinals. When we played against England here, I was pretty vocal about the unsuitability of the wicket for a one-day game. I haven’t yet set seen the pitch for tomorrow’s game because it was covered when we went to the ground for practice. However, local reports here suggest that it there will be a little more pace this time round. There is also a good chance that New Zealand may be our opponents in that game, so a dress rehearsal would be a big help.

The New Zealanders are tough customers on most days. They have this ability to sneak under your guard just when you feel things are going your way. They seem to understand our way of playing better than most sides, and since there are many all-rounders in the team, they always have plenty of options. Stephen Fleming is a captain whom I rate pretty high, since he always tries to surprise the opposition and looks to be ahead of the game. We have played each other many times over the years, and know what the other team is all about.

While the wicket is slow at Port Elizabeth, I still think the fast bowlers will be the guys who will do well, if they adjust a little. In the Australia-England game the two Andys, Bichel and Caddick, did all the damage because they ran their fingers over the seam and bowled within themselves. As the game progresses, the slower bowlers might be easier to play, and I don’t think we will have any problem playing the dibbly-dobblies in the Kiwi attack. Add to that the fact that it’s a small ground, and I think clever batting could ensure that this is not another low-scoring game.

We don’t plan to change anything at this crucial stage of the tournament. Before our last game we had discussed the need for the top four batsmen taking on more responsibility at our team meeting, and that’s exactly what happened. Adam Gilchrist was magnificent, and unlucky not to get a century. Matthew Hayden was a little unlucky, while Damien Martyn also chipped in with a 50. It was good to register my second century in World Cups. The last one was in Jaipur against West Indies in 1996. It was fairly important to score at that stage, because we felt that the Sri Lankans had the ability to haul any total under 280. In my last piece I had mentioned that the new ball was important in both innings, and we were able to start well both with bat and ball, and then succeeded in keeping the pressure.