adminAUCKLAND. — New Zealand are expecting Australia to sledge as part of their game-plan when the teams clash in their Cricket World Cup match in Auckland on Saturday, all-rounder Corey Anderson has said.
Australia has long employed aggressive banter as a tactic to try to put opponents off their game, earning criticism from some pundits and a raft of code of conduct violations for taking the chirping too far.
Saturday’s match at Eden Park is expected to be a sell-out and could well decide who finishes top of Pool A ahead of the knockout rounds.
“Their sledging tactics are well-known now,” Anderson told reporters in Auckland. “It’s something we haven’t involved ourselves in. We’re neutral on the field and we just stick to what we do.
“We’ll be expecting a little bit of heat from them but I guess that’s just part of their game plan and we’ll deal to it as it comes.”
New Zealand have won all three of their pool matches, including a stunning demolition of England, while Australia also beat Eoin Morgan’s side in their tournament opener before rain washed out the second match against Bangladesh.
Australia were upset by New Zealand at the same ground in the 1992 World Cup and ended up missing the semi-finals at the tournament they co-hosted.
The ODI teams have hardly played each other in the last five years, with the last result a big win to Australia at the 2011 World Cup in India. “It’s going to be definitely the biggest game in my career and the same for a lot of other guys,” said Anderson.
“At the moment it feels like another World Cup game that we’ve got to win but I’m sure once we see the crowds roll in and a little more hype a couple of days out, it’s going to be pretty cool.
“It’s Australia, you always want to beat Australia.” — Reuters.
Online Reporter