Aussies not getting ahead of themselves in Perth
Australia skipper Michael Clarke says his team can’t afford to think about their upcoming clash with Sri Lanka just yet as they prepare for Wednesday’s World Cup match against Afghanistan at the WACA Ground.
Australia sit fourth in Pool A following their one-wicket loss to New Zealand and a washout against Bangladesh.
Should Australia lose to Sri Lanka at the SCG on Sunday, it could pit them into a quarter-final showdown against familiar foes South Africa, and a possible semi-final against NZ.
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That scenario would be the worst possible outcome for Australia, who are struggling to gain momentum after a stop-start tournament.
Afghanistan are expected to be easy kill for Australia, but Clarke said his team’s thoughts were 100 per cent on the job at hand.
“(Coach Darren Lehmann) made it pretty clear to us that he wants us to stay focused on what’s right in front of us,” Clarke said.
“We’ll worry about Sunday after the game.
“I’ve watched Afghanistan play throughout this World Cup.
“I think they’ve performed really well.
“The wicket looks fantastic out there, so there might be a bit of pace and bounce for their opening bowlers who have done a very good job throughout this tournament.”
Afghanistan assistant coach Peter Anderson backed his team to put up a good fight.
“We’ve come off a win against Scotland that has given the boys a lot of confidence,” Anderson said.
“We know we are up against probably one of the best teams in the world, and arguably the best pace attack in the world.
“It’s a shop front for us. It’s an opportunity to show the cricketing public – the world – what talent we have in Afghanistan.
“And I know the boys will do themselves very proud.
“Our goal is to go out there and bat 50 overs and make it very competitive. You never know.”
Australia are set to welcome back allrounder James Faulkner, while Steve Smith is also expected to play despite copping a knock to his left hand at training on Tuesday.
