Ponting fires a warning by Cricketarchive Staff

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Player:

RT Ponting, SR Watson, NW Bracken, GD McGrath, B Lee, DJ Cullen, MG Johnson

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DateLine: 26th September 2006

 

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has fired a warning to the Champions Trophy hopefuls by saying his side have yet to peak despite winning the DLF Cup tri-series with ease.

 

Australia thumped the West Indies on Sunday with a 127-run victory in the final of the DLF Cup. Australian bowlers Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Nathan Bracken and Shane Watson tore into the West Indies batsmen.

 

"It's obviously one we want to win. It is the second biggest one-day tournament in the world and it is one that has eluded Australia," said Ponting. "We have been knocked out in the semi-final in the last two Champions Trophies, but we definitely have the squad and the players to challenge seriously this year. We've played some good cricket in Indian conditions before so we can go there now with confidence."

 

Before their Malaysia trip, the Aussies had not played competitive cricket for four months but were good enough, with an experimental side, to beat not only the West Indies but also India. Their strength in depth is so amazing that they rotated players to have a look at some promising youngsters -- such as Mitchell Johnson and Dan Cullen.

 

``Looking back over the last few weeks, I think it has been very successful with the experimentation that we have had, trying different guys in different roles," said Ponting. "It's been a really good exercise. Having had a look at a few extra players in different roles, we have lots of different bases covered for the Champions Trophy."