Confident Aussies eye 10th World Indoor title

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Confident Aussies eye 10th World Indoor title
Australian women's team during a training session.

Defending world champions play newcomers Malaysia in the Open Men's category on Saturday

By KT Report

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Published: Thu 14 Sep 2017, 8:30 PM

Last updated: Sat 16 Sep 2017, 12:43 AM

The opening day of the World indoor Cricket World Cup will pit the defending world champions Australia against newcomers Malaysia in the Open Men's category.
Australia's Open Men's team will compete for a 10th consecutive title, and will be guided by six-time World Cup winning coach Ross Gregory.
The coach said: "We believe we've picked a team that's good enough to win this World Cup, but it really depends on how they go. We've got a couple of first-timers and a lot of old hands there as well, so we've got a good blend. We're fairly confident the players will do well.
"We have won it every time, but it's never been easy. The other countries are not knocking on the door - they're at level-pegging with us. It's just up to who can produce that extra five per cent during finals time and play that little bit better. Fortunately for us, we've usually been the team that can produce that."
There is only one Malaysian side in the tournament and they will be competing in the Open Men's category. The team is made up of mainly outdoor players who are making a crossover to the indoor game.
Captain Anwar Arudin captains both the indoor and outdoor teams for Malaysia, and in last month's SEA games he led Malaysia to gold in the 50 over game. This is the first major indoor tournament for Malaysia, but the team is not intimidated by its more experienced rivals says the captain "This is our first indoor event, but it is a great opportunity for us and we want to deliver our best effort. Outdoor is very different from indoor, but we have been training hard, and we are thankful for this opportunity to compete in a World Cup."
Australia will set out to defend its status as reigning Indoor Cricket world champions across all four divisions at the Indoor Cricket World Cup 2017.
Four teams - Open Men, Open Women, 21 & Under Men and 21 & Under Women - will represent Australia at the World Cup.
All four teams were victorious at the most recent edition of the tournament in New Zealand in 2014, and have yet to be defeated in a World Cup Final.
 

Vinesh Bennett of Australia during a training session.
Vinesh Bennett of Australia during a training session.


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