Buchanan excited by World XI selections

John Buchanan, Australia's coach, is excited by the World XI squads that will take on Australia in the Super Series in October. The lists of probables include nine players from Pakistan, seven each from England, India and South Africa, four from Sri Lanka, three from West Indies, and two from New Zealand.

"Many of the players selected have great records against Australia," said Buchanan, "and I am very excited about the prospect of having them all in one team. It will be interesting to see how the players from very diverse backgrounds meld into a team, but on paper the names are impressive.

"Australia is certainly going to have to play at its best," he continued, "but I am confident that the calibre of our guys is such that they will relish the opportunity to display their abilities against the best the world has to offer."

Buchanan said Australia would not take the matches lightly. "The team will not want to surrender its unbeaten run in either form of the game," he said, "so there is a lot at stake. Knowing who we will be playing gives the whole concept more reality and we can begin thinking about how we will approach the matches. The standard of cricket and competition that we will see in the Super Series has the potential to be better than anything we have seen in Australia."

Australia are due to play a three-match one-day series against the World XI at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne on October 5, 7 and 9, and a six-day Super Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground from October 14.