Australia eager to finish on top says skipper Ricky Ponting, ahead of match against Pakistan

Australia cricket team skipper Ricky Ponting is more concerned about defeating the unpredictable Pakistan and finishing at the top of Group A, than protecting their unbeaten 34-match World Cup streak as they take on Afridi’s men at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.

"That's what we are setting out to do," said Ponting while talking to the media persons on the eve of the game. "We are setting out to play our best game of the tournament tomorrow — that means we finish on top," he stressed.

The mighty Aussies, with nine points from five games, will face their first real test in the 14-nation tournament tomorrow when they face the confident Men in Green, who have eight points from five matches. The winner of the game will top the Group A table and will face a relatively weaker Group B side in the quarter-final game.

Ponting’s men have had an easy going World Cup so far as they scripted cakewalks over Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Kenya and Canada while their match with co-hosts Sri Lanka was washed out due to heavy rainfall halfway through the first innings and the teams shared a point each.

"If we don't win the game (against Pakistan), we will finish somewhere else, I'm not concerned about that either," said the Tasmania batsman. "To win a World Cup, you have to beat the best team; it's as simple as that," added confident Ponting.

The Premadasa strip is expected to offer more turn to the spinners and this is the only department, the defending champions lack in. Pakistan have three spinners including Shahid Afridi, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez. Afridi has been sensational with the ball in the show piece event so far and is leading the wickets table with 16 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls.

Australia, on the other hand, have only one genuine slow bowler, Jason Krejza, who is yet to prove himself at the international level. Steven Smith and Michael Clarke, their part-time spinners, have failed to make an impact in the tournament so far.

Ponting has his hopes attached with his opening duo of Brad Haddin and Shane Watson. He said that both are aggressive batsmen and score runs quite quickly. The captain is confident that the Haddin-Watson combo would make best use of the field restrictions in the start  and would get them off to a good start again. Ponting vowed that the Aussies would set a big total at the Premadasa wicket.