Aussie cricketers eye world record

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Feb 21 AAP - Australia's rampaging cricketers are on the verge of a world record.

Victories over Zimbabwe, Namibia and England in their next three World Cup matches will move Ricky Ponting's men past the benchmark of 11 straight limited-overs wins achieved by the awesome West Indian teams of the mid-1980s.

Australia's hot streak, which began with a seven-run triumph over England at Hobart on January 11, has since claimed eight more victims.

And there are many more in sight as the defending champions attempt to retain their prized trophy via an undefeated six-week trek through southern Africa.

The Windies, boasting the likes of Vivian Richards, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Michael Holding, strung together 11 wins between June 1984 and February 1985.

"I don't think it's out of our league, that's for sure," said Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden.

"We are playing really good cricket and I guess now it's just playing the big matches - Zimbabwe is a big match on their home territory.

"I don't think it's out of our possibilities, we are playing well - we're a great side when we're playing with that momentum behind us."

Australia has come within a whisker of the Windies' record twice before, falling at the 11th hurdle in May 1990 and February 2001.

But it holds the record for the most consecutive one-day games without defeat: a trailblazing 14-match stretch between January and March 2000 that included a no-result when rain washed out play against New Zealand in Wellington.

Hayden claimed it was too early for Australia to start thinking about an unbeaten World Cup, even though fast bowler Glenn McGrath and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist have already spoken of the lofty ambition.

"We've won two of the biggest matches, against India and Pakistan, straight away and we kind of saw that as the key to our campaign and we're just gathering a lot of strength from that," said Hayden.

Meanwhile, the world's No.1 Test and one-day batsman paid Holland's ragged crew of slow-medium pace bowlers a huge compliment by saying the 22.4 overs he faced at North West Stadium on Thursday were the most difficult for him in years.

The Dutch can't take all the credit, though.

A wet pitch and overcast conditions were more responsible for Hayden's stuttering 33 from 59 balls than Holland's new-ball partnership of 40-year-old Roland Lefebvre and Edgar Schiferli, whose international bowling average was left at an unflattering 190.

"Personally, they were 20 of the hardest overs I've faced in one-day cricket for a long time," said Hayden, who backed the appearance of minnows like Holland at the World Cup.

"The ball was swinging and seaming around, they were difficult conditions.

"We were obviously going to be a more talented side than Holland but you have to look at it from a developmental point of view as well.

"If you jump up and down and say we can't possibly include these kind of nations in a World Cup, their cricket never develops.

"I think it's good for the game. The Holland blokes were first in the dressing room at the end of the day's play having a beer and trying to learn as much as they could."

Australia plays Zimbabwe at Bulawayo on Monday, Namibia at Potchefstroom on Thursday and England at Port Elizabeth on March 2.