\nDHARAMSALA
\n Australia skipper Pat Cummins believes Saturday\u2019s World Cup clash with New Zealand will be a battle between \u201cmates\u201d as the push for semi-final places enters a critical phase.
\nFive-time champions Australia are back on track for a last-four spot having won three matches on the trot after an unimpressive start that saw them lose their first two games.
\nNew Zealand, runners-up in the last two World Cups, have the better record so far with four wins from five games.
\nAustralia, however, have the upper hand when it comes to clashes at World Cups over the years, winning eight of the 11 match-ups.
\n\u201cI think most of the Kiwis are pretty placid and we\u2019re pretty similar,\u201d said Cummins on Friday on the eve of the game taking place in the Himalayan venue of Dharamsala.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve played a lot of cricket with these guys and some of them are really good mates. If anything, it makes you want to beat your mates even more. It will be intense out there.\u201d
\nIn 2015, New Zealand edged a low-scoring group game by one wicket in Auckland before Australia gained revenge with a seven-wicket stroll in the final.
\nMitchell Starc, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith and Josh Hazlewood are all survivors from the 2015 final. Cummins played in the group game.
\nCurrent New Zealand squad members Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Tim Southee also played that final.
\nCummins said he was delighted by Australia over-coming early losses at this World Cup to India and South Africa.
\nThey have since seen off Sri Lanka, Pakistan and then the Netherlands by a huge 309 runs.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re obviously playing some fantastic cricket at the moment,\u201d New Zealand skipper Tom Latham told reporters on Friday.
\n\u201cThey didn\u2019t probably start as well as they would have liked, but I think the form they\u2019ve shown in probably the last three games is obviously the Australia that we know.
\n\u201cThey fight till the end pretty much every time and I guess every time we play each other it\u2019s always a challenge. They\u2019re a quality side, one of the best sides in the world for a reason and you certainly can\u2019t take them lightly.\u201d
\nNew Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner is one of the tournament\u2019s leading bowlers, with 12 wickets at an average of under 17.
\n\u201cObviously conditions back home obviously don\u2019t suit spin as much,\u201d said Latham. \u201cIt\u2019s another great opportunity for him tomorrow and hopefully he can stand up again.\u201d
\nKane Williamson, New Zealand\u2019s regular captain, has featured just once at this World Cup, retiring hurt on 78 against Bangladesh when struck by a throw while running between the wickets that left him with a broken thumb.
\nThat was Williamson\u2019s first match in seven months following a serious knee injury, with Latham saying Friday that the star batsman remained \u201ca work in progress\u201d.<\/p>\n
New Zealand are about to finish a five-day break between games with the squad using some of that time to visit the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, at his Dharamsala base.<\/p>\n
Asked what had been discussed with the Buddhist monk, Latham replied: \u201cNot field placements!\u201d He added: \u201cIt was obviously a really special time heading up there and having a look around the monastery\u2026I think everyone that went, I\u2019m sure in years to come they\u2019ll think this was an amazing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DHARAMSALA Australia skipper Pat Cummins believes Saturday\u2019s World Cup clash with New Zealand will be a battle between \u201cmates\u201d as the push for semi-final places enters a critical phase. Five-time champions Australia are back on track for a last-four spot having won three matches on the trot after an unimpressive start that saw them lose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":364800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-364783","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n