Late and under-prepared Australians radiate confidence

Circumstances beyond the control of the Australian cricket board have meant that Australia was not only the last side to arrive in Sri Lanka, but are also the most unprepared. If it sounds familiar to the senior sides start in the 1999 World Cup, then so does the confidence of their coach, the inspirational Rodney Marsh.

The friendly match on Sunday against New Zealand was their first chance to play together as a team and their only opportunity to acclimatize to local conditions, after a technical problem with their Boeing 747 resulted in a 24 hours delay.

He played down the importance of the fact that they had only played one match and whilst acknowledging that conditions are different from back home, he viewed the tournament as an opportunity for the youngsters to learn. He stated, "you have to be able to play in all conditions and this tournament gives the guys a chance to develop their games," before noting philosophically that, "after all its just a game between bat and ball."

The selection of the squad which took place on December 19, after the completion of the U-19 inter-state championship, has resulted in a squad that is packed with allrounders, not so much by design but by the fact that "they are the best cricketers around."

Their practice match today against New Zealand validated such claims as the side, struggling on 144-9, staged a remarkable recovery to post a competitive total of 235. The star of the show was T. Welsford who hit 75 of just 75 balls, including three sixes. In the end the score was more than enough as the bowlers skittled the Kiwis for just 110. P.Roff collecting the best figures of the day with 4-8.

One young player, who is attracting attention at present, is the son of former test batsmen, Shaun Marsh. Some Australian commentators have even suggested that he is the best young player in Australia. However Rodney Marsh was reluctant to raise the expectations on him at this stage, referring to him as "just a talented young guy."