Australia hungry for another trophy - Clarke

Michael Clarke says Australia are approaching the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship with enormous confidence and are eager to annex another trophy after their recent World Cup triumph. "I'm really looking forward to the opportunity of playing in the inaugural Twenty20 championship and I'm certain we can bring home the trophy," Clarke told journalists in Johannesburg during an ICC conference call from Sydney.

"In a game of such a short amount of overs, one player can win the match, whether it be in batting, bowling or fielding. We have a lot of talent, a lot of guys who can win a game on their own."

Clarke named the hosts South Africa and England as Australia's main rivals for cricket's newest prize, but it is, as usual, going to take something special to snatch another trophy from Ricky Ponting's grasp. In the last year Australia have widened their lead in the Test Championship rankings, won the Champions Trophy and the World Cup, and they will arrive in South Africa with almost the same squad that triumphed in the Caribbean. Brett Lee comes in for the retired Glenn McGrath and Clarke believes the passing of one great generation will provide the gap for new stars to reveal their talents.

"That's a part of the game, people come and go and they will be missed," Clarke said. "But other players in Australia will see it as an opportunity and some new blood has now moved into the national team. That is good, it keeps the team fresh and I'm looking forward to seeing how we go without Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn."

Clarke is one of those players who can be a match-winner in all three departments and after making merry in the World Cup, he is looking forward to providing more entertainment in South Africa. He said Twenty20 cricket was the most instinctive form of the game.

"It would be wrong to plan too much ahead of a match," he said. "You've got to go with the flow, go with your instincts. As a batsman, you've probably got to go for it a bit earlier than you'd like. Twenty20 cricket is fantastic. I love it, especially how fast it is."