KEY POINTS:
It was the late, great Australian all-rounder Keith Miller - a fighter pilot during World War II - who once snorted with derision after being asked how he coped with the pressure of international cricket.
"Pressure?" he cried. "That's not pressure. Pressure's having a Messerschmitt up your arse."
Shane Bond might be too young to know much about the Luftwaffe, but he did managed to capture Miller's spirit yesterday as he eyed tomorrow's semifinal against Sri Lanka.
In a remarkably frank interview at the team's Kingston hotel, Bond not only gave himself the thumbs-up for the semifinal, but also said New Zealand should win the match and that he expected to play a leading role.
Bond, who was scratched on the morning of the Saturday's game against Australia with a stomach bug, played down the hype surrounding the Sabina Park semifinal, and said New Zealand had everything in their favour as they approached the match.
"This is the draw we wanted; they're the team we wanted to play, and this is the ideal place for us to play them. If we play well I think we'll win."
New Zealand have never played in a final at the World Cup despite making four semifinals, but Bond believed if his side could subdue the top-order duo of Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara, they had a good chance.
Asked if he felt extra pressure at the prospect of taking on the aggressive Sri Lankan top-order, the standout New Zealand paceman said he didn't, but that he understood it was up to him to make a difference.
"I expect to go in there and take wickets and do well in the semi, or in any big game I play," he said. "I know there's a key player at the top of the order [Jayasuriya] that it would be nice to take care of, and I think I will.
"Jayasuriya's a huge key for their momentum. He's the difference between them making 280 or 220. If we can get him out it's huge because further down the order they don't have the same hitting power.
"We've got some big fellas. If we can get some bounce and use our size and intimidate then a little bit - fizz a few around them - it should be good for us."
Refreshingly candid about how his team were viewing their opponents, the 31-year-old believed the extra size and power of the New Zealanders translated into a marked advantage over Sri Lanka, particularly if the pitch was conducive to pace bowl-ing.
Reports suggest the semifinal surface will be the most lively of the tournament, something that would suit not only the New Zealand pace attack, but also their batting line-up.
"They've obviously got some good players but I don't think they have the power in their batting that a lot of other teams have," he said. "Upal Tharanga, to me, has been out of form and Mahela [Jayawardene] has been touch and go.
"We feel there's a chance that, against Sri Lanka, 120 for five can be 150 all out. On this ground it's quite exciting for us.
"We think we've got a longer batting line-up than them, but that they have a very dangerous bowling attack. It's going to be an interesting contest."
Bond said Jamaican all-rounder Daren Powell told him the Sabina Park pitch would be at least slightly quicker than most of the other World Cup venues.
"As a bowler it would be nice to come off flat wickets to something that might offer some assistance."
NZ V Sri Lanka
Sabina Park, 2am tomorrow
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (c), Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Shane Bond, Jeetan Patel, Hamish Marshall, Michael Mason, Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin.
Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (c), Sanath Jayasuriya, Upal Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Russell Arnold, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Farveez Maharoof, Malinga Bandara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Marvan Atapattu.
