For Australia’s cricketers, Sunday’s final match of their one-day series against England carries more importance than the possibility of an historic 7-0 whitewash.
All-rounder James Hopes says while the Australians are motivated by becoming the first team ever to sweep a seven-match series, the Durham finale has the potential to send them to the Champions Trophy on a high.
“More so the motivation is not to go to the Champions Trophy with our last game being a loss to a team we’re up 6-0 against,” Hopes said.
“In the back of our mind we are aware that if we lose, we allow England to go over there winning their last game and and we go over losing our last game.
“So we want to keep the run going and if we can win six more games we’ll have won the Champions Trophy.”
The Australians have made no secret of the fact they have had one eye on the tournament in South Africa during this series.
Even more so, their focus is on the hosts.
After losing two one-day series to South African this year, Australia knocked the Proteas off the top of the world rankings with their most recent victory against England.
Australia can can stay No.1 with a win in Durham, but won’t consider themselves favourites for the Champions Trophy.
“We would want another crack at South Africa,” Hopes said.
“If that happens in a semi-final or a final, we can’t wait for that opportunity because we’ve had a couple of bad series from that perspective against them over the past 12 months.
“We’re looking to right that ship.”
In that respect, world rankings count for little as far as the Australians are concerned.
“If you’re number one, you go over there and lose two games, you’re not number one any more,” Hopes said.
“For us it’s more important to win this 7-0 and then go over the South Africa and make sure we at least get to the semi-finals.
“We don’t want to go out in the group stage. We don’t want to have another Twenty20 World Cup on our hands.”
Following his team’s 111-run win in the penultimate match against England at Trent Bridge on Thursday, Australian captain Ricky Ponting suggested he would take a near full strength team into the last fixture.
Hopes did all he could to ensure he is part of the team during the second match of the Nottingham double-header, claiming 3-32 to be the pick of the Australian bowlers and scoring 38 off 22 balls.
But with Shane Watson expected to bowl again in Durham after spending the last match in a pure opening batsman’s role, Hopes could find himself nudged out, such is the depth of the Australian line-up at the moment.
“It just depends on the make-up of going in with five or six bowlers,” Hopes said.
“If we think we can go in with five bowlers, then I’ll be the one to miss out. If we go in with six, well I assume I’ll play.”
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