Australia captain Michael Clarke describes it as “a local derby” and suggests it will be infused with all of the qualities that term implies, of long-standing and spirited rivalry played out in front of passionate fans. New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum (in pic) says Saturday’s Pool A match at Eden Park between the World Cup co-hosts, hugely anticipated and possibly offering a glimpse of the tournament final, is not “life or death - just a game of cricket.”
The respective attitudes of the captains may provide an insight not only into their natures as individuals but, more deeply, into the psychology that drives both teams. Clarke speaks for the go-getter Australians, energized and aggressive; McCullum for a New Zealand team confident of its own form and striving hard to avoid emotional peaks and troughs.
McCullum doesn't want to minimize the importance of Saturday's match, which will be played in front of a sellout crowd of 40,000 at Eden Park, a towering rugby stadium nestled in the shadow of a dormant volcano. The winner will almost certainly top Pool A, though that likelihood now more strongly favors New Zealand because Autralia's most-recent World Cup match against Bangladesh was washed out. The winner may also take a substantial psychological advantage into the knockout rounds, which could include a re-match in an Eden Park semifinal.
But McCullum stresses the importance of not letting hype take control in a tournament that still has a month to run. “Both teams, I'm sure are desperate to win tomorrow,” McCullum said. “I think midway through a tournament to get a significant victory over a very strong team is a huge confidence-booster. This tournament has got a long way to go and still a lot of pressure games coming. Tomorrow is one of those but it's nothing more than that.”
Clarke developed the analogy of a local derby as he addressed a news conference on Friday. As he spoke, heavy rain streaked the windows of conference room in Eden Park's southern grandstand. Showers are also forecast for late Saturday afternoon. Clarke's return at the expense of George Bailey has forced one of two changes to the Australia lineup for the match; Pat Cummins replaces fellow New South Wales paceman Josh Hazlewood in the bowling attack. New Zealand has retained the same lineup that has won its first three matches. “They are a really tough opposition. It's a local derby for Australia, New Zealand, and has that rivalry that I know both teams really enjoy.”
‘Sledging just banter’
When the inevitable question of sledging came to Clarke, he rolled his eyes and sighed with resignation. “Ahhh, sledging. I'm sick of taking about it,” Clarke responded with barely disguised frustration. “I've played against a lot of teams that have sledged me and I've played in teams that have sledged a lot of players, so I'm not too concerned about the banter. It's always been a part of the game that I've grown up playing.” Clarke insisted that every Australian player knows that the on-field banter has limits, that there are lines that can't be crossed. He said Australia's verbal abuse of opposing players always stayed within those lines.