Australia aim to get Raj early

Belinda Clark, the Australian captain, has said that her side will target the Indian batting sensation, Mithali Raj, when the two sides clash in the final of the Women's World Cup at Centurion Park on Sunday. Raj's superb 91 in the semi-finals had helped India skip past New Zealand into their first-ever World Cup final.

"We'll be looking at seeing the back of her as soon as possible," Clark was reported as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald. The two sides haven't met since December 2004, when Australia narrowly won a seven-match one-day series 4-3. The two teams were scheduled to meet during the league phase of the World Cup but the match was washed out without a ball being bowled. "They really rely on their opening bowlers and the spinners," she added, "and we'll need to be disciplined to survive them."

Steve Jenkin, the Australian coach, warned against underestimating India and spoke about their improvement in recent months. "They've beaten us more than any other side in the past four years," he said. "They're a better team now than they've ever been, they're a lot fitter, a lot more agile, and it's going to be a tough game."

The game will be broadcast live from Centurion Park, Pretoria, on Main Event, free of charge to all Foxtel, Austar and Optus subscribers from 6pm (AEST).