Aussies can make it a hat-trick of wins

Many are surprised by the recent defeat of the mighty Aussies and are wondering whether Ricky Ponting and his men will have the ability to hunt in a pack again at the World Cup. But I have seen them up close and can tell you that Australia will rise back to the standards they always set for themselves. They will definitely put an end to their five-match losing streak when the World Cup begins next month.

Defeats prompt people to take a pessimistic view. If you remember, the Indian cricket team had had a poor tour of New Zealand prior to the previous World Cup in South Africa and many wondered then whether we would even survive the first round. Likewise, I am sure, when we see Ponting and his men in the Caribbean it will be a re-energised Australian team.

No one is saying Australia does everything right in cricket all the time. They've lost five straight games but during this stretch they've also had five or six players out of the side. Andrew Symonds tore a muscle in his bicep, captain Ponting was in excruciating pain with a swollen back, Michael Clarke had a sore hip, Adam Gilchrist suffered from match fatigue and needed a break, Brett Lee's ankle gave way and Matthew Hayden has suffered a fractured toe.

Australia won the World Cup in 1999 and 2003 on the strength of their allround skills. The team's victories were a reflection of their clear dominance in Test cricket and ODIs. Glenn McGrath and Ponting played in both tournaments. No team even came close to breaking their stranglehold on world cricket. This 2007 World Cup team too has the ability and power to lift the cup for a record third consecutive time.

My friends showed me a report in a Sydney daily. It read: "If Australian cricket had a problem, it was that its team was too good for its own good." That's the reality. Like us, Ponting and his boys are back in the nets, hard at work and getting ready for the final assault in the West Indies. I'm looking forward to the challenge.