KEY POINTS:
New Zealand are daring to dream the once-impossible dream as they prepare for their final second-round match against Australia.
Already through to the semifinal phase and - beyond a mathematical quirk - almost certain to play Sri Lanka at Jamaica next Wednesday, the Group C winners have made a point of not getting ahead of themselves during this tournament, and have prepared thoroughly for tomorrow's showdown at Grenada National Stadium.
For all that, New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming told a packed press conference yesterday that he could think of no greater way to win the World Cup than to knock over Sri Lanka and then beat defending champions Australia in Sunday week's final.
Fleming, although allowing for a turn-up if his team beat Australia by such a margin tomorrow that New Zealand ended up seeded No 1, and therefore drawn to play South Africa in the second semi at St Lucia, said beating the defending champions in the showpiece would be the ultimate.
"I'd love to play Australia in the final," he said. "I think an Aussie-Kiwi final would be great for the game Downunder and for our country, and especially for us.
"We respect Sri Lanka a helluva lot; it's a very hard game for us. But to beat Australia [in the final] is something our guys have talked a lot about, and there's no doubt it would be a great way to finish it."
In years gone by Australia have often claimed the high-ground in terms of intimidating the New Zealanders, no more so than before the recent Chappell-Hadlee success, when they won 19 of 21 transtasman contests.
But Fleming said the mere fact that his side had played Australia so often over the past couple of years meant the players were far more prepared for the challenges ahead.
New Zealand beat Australia 3-nil at home before departing for the World Cup, in what was their first clean-sweep of the world champions.
"Yeah, we enjoy it," said Fleming. "They've given us some good thumpings over the years and we steal a win here or there.
"We'd like to change that around over the next wee while, and as we'll move forward there'd be no better scalp to have than this one in the World Cup."
Fleming said the annual Chappell-Hadlee series and the more frequent exposure to Australia's quality of play had helped lift New Zealand to the extent that far from being overawed they were eagerly awaiting the next contest.
"I think as guys get more familiar with playing Aussie and what goes along with playing them, they become more comfortable with the challenge," he said.
"What we've found over the past 12 months is that the familiarity of playing them has given us opportunities to move forward. From a mental point of view we're not far away.
"We enjoy it [playing Australia], which is important because most teams shy away from them. This team enjoys the challenge of playing them."
As for tomorrow's game, Fleming hinted that New Zealand would have half an eye on the probable semifinal against Sri Lanka when the team was selected, but rejected any suggestion of fielding a gratuitously weakened side.
Shane Bond would play, and the major dilemma would involve whether to include an extra paceman such as Michael Mason or Mark Gillespie at the expense of off-spinner Jeetan Patel.
That was because the Sabina Park pitch in Jamaica was likely to provide more assistance for the pace bowlers, raising the issue of whether Mason or Gillespie should be given a chance to get up to speed tomorrow, before the more important fixture next week.
Gillespie went for 42 off 6.1 overs during the loss against Sri Lanka last week, and Mason hasn't played since pulling up with a calf strain against Bangladesh at Antigua more than two weeks previous.
"We'll play our best possible team barring injury scares or the need to rest someone because of a fitness issue," said Fleming. "We'll be cautious in that sense but we'll certainly play the strongest team we can."
The squads
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (c), Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Shane Bond, Michael Mason, Mark Gillespie, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin, Hamish Marshall.
Australia: Ricky Ponting (c), Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Mike Hussey, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait, Glenn McGrath, Mitchell Johnson, Brad Hodge, Brad Haddin, Stuart Clark.
