Australia will unleash Pat Cummins for the first time in the World Cup, hoping the young gun’s added pace will help skittle New Zealand on Saturday.
The Blackcaps named an unchanged side for Saturday’s trans-Tasman tussle in Auckland, arguably the most highly-anticipated pool match of the tournament.
“The guys have really stood up over the last little while,” New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum explained in his pre-match press conference.
The visitors took a different approach – on two fronts.
Michael Clarke told reporters that national selector Mark Waugh was yet to discuss the issue with coach Darren Lehmann and finalise an XI.
A downpour then delayed training for almost two hours before Waugh and Lehmann settled on a team.
Josh Hazlewood, who played in Australia’s World Cup opener against England at the MCG, was dumped for Cummins.
George Bailey was dropped as expected, with Clarke returning to lead Australia in a competitive match for the first time since tearing his hamstring in the first Test against India.
A long week of talk – two in Australia’s case given their clash with Bangladesh in Brisbane was washed out – is over and it’s almost time for action.
Nobody is happier about that than Clarke, whose every step, shot, tweet, target, word and worry has been analysed and debated by pundits over the past two months.
“Everyone is sick of talking and reading about my injury, my old injury I should say,” Clarke said.
“The body feels really good, I have worked really hard.”
Clarke cautioned that “doesn’t guarantee I’m not going to get injured again”.
“I know I can walk out on to the field tomorrow and go at 100 miles an hour and if I get injured I get injured,” he added.
“I feel like I’m as fit and healthy as I’ve been in at least five years.
“I’m ready to go.”
The fixture is likely to decide which team tops Pool A, while it also features the two sides that bookmakers expect to contest the final on March 29 in Melbourne.
“I have no idea … I hope I’m worrying about the final in a month’s time,” Clarke said of the prospect of a trans-Tasman decider.
Clarke made it clear to his teammates on Thursday that they would need to scrap for every run and wicket on the weekend.
“I spoke to the boys and made it very clear that through my career I can’t remember an easy game against New Zealand,” Clarke said.
Australia have had a fortnight between games due to the abandoned fixture against Bangladesh, but Clarke denied it would be a disadvantage.
The 33-year-old played a similarly straight bat to Steve Waugh’s suggestion that Shane Warne’s recent comments regarding Lehmann would have an unsettling impact on the squad.
“At the moment the team is really focused on tomorrow’s game, and we have been all week,” Clarke said.
