Australians prepare for ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup final

The Australian under-19 team plays South Africa in Lincoln, New Zealand, tomorrow in the final of the 2002 International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

The Australians won through to the final after a 93-run semi-final victory over the West Indies in Christchurch yesterday. That win completed an unblemished record for the side so far, after victories against Kenya, the West Indies again, Scotland, South Africa, England and New Zealand.

Captain Cameron White was a standout performer for the Australians again yesterday, scoring 64 off 71 balls. That innings took the Victorian all-rounder's World Cup aggregate to 401 runs (top score 156 not out against Kenya at Carisbrook, Dunedin), the second most runs in the tournament.

Tasmanian Xavier Doherty and Western Australians Shaun Marsh and Craig Simmons have also been star performers for Australia.

Doherty, a left-arm orthodox spinner who made his first-class debut for the Tasmanian Tigers this year, is the tournament's highest wicket-taker (14 wickets at an average of nine).

Left-handed Simmons has been devastating with the bat, scoring 365 runs to date at a strike rate 89.02.

Marsh, who made his first-class debut for the Western Warriors last season, has continued to show his promise with 282 runs at the top of the order.

Speaking about tomorrow's final, coach Wayne Phillips said: "I am very comfortable with the team's preparation. We go into the game with players in good form with bat, ball and gloves.

"The boys have enjoyed a quiet preparation day today, with a light session in the gym this morning and a hit-up this afternoon. We felt that given the amount of cricket the boys have played over the past three weeks, a skills-based session probably wasn't necessary. It was more a case of making sure that everyone was alert and concentrating on tomorrow's task.

"We have been absolutely thrilled with the support that we have received from back home. It has been a major factor in our success so far."

Some of that support came from Australian captain Steve Waugh, who put a call into the under-19 camp this morning. Waugh, captain of Australia's 1999 World Cup triumph in the United Kingdom, rang to pass on some advice and best wishes to White and the team.

While Australia's opponent South Africa has not played for a week, Phillips is expecting top-class competition tomorrow:

"South Africa plays a very similar brand of cricket to us, so I would expect a very close encounter," he said.

The Australians are desperate to take out this World Cup title, after making the semi-finals in the two previous competitions.

In Sri Lanka two years ago, Australia lost the semi-final to eventual champions India. In South Africa in 1998-99, the Australians suffered the same fate, defeated by eventual champions England