McGrath predicts easy Australia win over England

Australia pace bowler Glenn McGrath has predicted a comfortable win for the world champions in their World Cup Super Eights match against England on Sunday.

England gained some consolation for their 5-0 Ashes whitewash by winning the one-day tri-series final against Australia 2-0 this year but they have not looked convincing in the Caribbean and lost their main group match to New Zealand.

''They played well to finish off the summer in Australia. We probably let our guard down a bit and did things differently to the way we'd been doing it all summer,'' McGrath told reporters at the team's hotel yesterday.

''Since we've been over here we've prepared exactly the way we've wanted to prepare. We've been ready for every game we've played.

We've played some awesome cricket and to be honest no team has really got close to us.

''So with the way England have been playing and the way we've been playing we should win this game pretty well.'' McGrath, 37, who will retire from all cricket after the World Cup which concludes with the final in Barbados on April 28, said he had always liked playing against England.

''I always enjoy playing England, I prefer to beat them. It could be the last time I come up against these guys before I hang my boots up so it would be nice to finish on a good note,'' he said.

PLAYING GOLF Australia have taken a three-day break from training in the eight days between their match against Bangladesh last Saturday and the match against England and McGrath spent most of Tuesday playing golf and kayaking.

''It's good that you can get around and have a look at the island and have bit of a break. But when you are in a tournament like this and playing well you want to keep the momentum up and to have eight days off in between a game is probably a bit too long,'' he said.

''But there's plenty of things to do and if you keep yourself interested it does go by quite quickly.'' McGrath, who broke Pakistani Wasim Akram's World Cup wickets record against Bangladesh, said he still felt fit enough to continue playing at the top level.

''Obviously you've got to weigh up what's important. For me for instance, I could keep playing,'' he said.

''The body is feeling great, I'm feeling fresh while I'm out in the middle. I've still got that competitive edge when I'm out there but it is everything else that goes with it. That's the reason I retired.'' Reuters SAM DB1001

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