New Zealand team with support staff during the team photo session before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 game between New Zealand and Australia at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India. Thursday, 26 October 2023. Copyright Photo: Raghavan Venugopal / www.photosport.nz Photo: Copyright © Photosport Ltd 2023 www.photosport.nz
Black Caps stand-in captain Tom Latham expects Australia to be at their best when the old rivals meet at the World Cup in Dharamshala, despite the record five-times champions making a stuttering start to their campaign.
The Australians side are fourth in the standings with six points from five matches after three consecutive victories, including a demolition of the Netherlands last time out.
"They're obviously playing some fantastic cricket at the moment," Latham told reporters on Friday.
"They didn't probably start as well as they would have liked, but I think the form they've shown in probably the last three games is obviously the Australia that we know.
"They fight till the end pretty much every time and I guess every time we play each other it's always a challenge. They're a quality side, one of the best sides in the world for a reason and you certainly can't take them lightly."
Runners-up in 2019, New Zealand, third in the standings, have only lost to hosts India at the tournament.
"I think we've shown throughout this tournament that we've seen plenty of teams that on their given day can beat anyone," Latham said.
"And Australia are no different. So, we're expecting them to be at their best and hopefully we can play well as well and hopefully be a great game."
- Reuters