Ricky Ponting said here on Sunday that only a couple of players in the team were aware of Australia's 29-match unbeaten run in World Cup from 1999. “It's amazing for Australian cricket. Hopefully we will be able to maintain the winning streak. We have come from a very good win (6-1) against England and are confident and excited about what the next few weeks holds for us. I am not concerned about the past, but thinking of what lies ahead of us. It's a 100-over game against Zimbabwe (on Monday) and we want to do well,” said Ponting at a press conference on the eve of his team's opening match against the Elton Chigumbura led Zimbabwe team.
Excerpts from the media interaction:
Is Australia the favourite or not: We have been working hard for the past four weeks. I don't think we are really worried about if we start as favourites or not. We are here to do our best. We hopefully start the tournament on a good note tomorrow. The favourite and ranking is a media talk. It's your concern. We will try to play best cricket in the next 5-6 weeks. We are not here also to start as defending champions.
His record 40th World Cup match getting past Glenn McGrath: I was asked this question ‘who's played the most games in the history of World Cup' and I said did not know. These are nice things when you finish, but I'm excited after being on the sideline for five to six weeks due to injury.
6-1 win against England: We wanted to bounce back after the Ashes series. We have maintained high standards over the years; whether it's at home or abroad, we managed to win one-day games. We are proud of that. And we know how to play in the subcontinent in different stages of this tournament.
Spin playing a big role: Our team is in similar position as India's. Last night they played three pacers and Harbhajan with Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan as part time spinners. David Hussey, Steve Smith and Michael Clarke can bowl spin.
On Brett Lee: He's terrrific. He's worked hard to get back in the ODI team. He has played a lot of Twenty20 matches and ODIs in last couple of years. He is the best bowler with a lot of pace. He has few more tricks than he used to have. He has developed a few skills by playing the shorter format. And no doubt he's going to lead our attack. He's experienced and has unbelievable strike rate.
