BRIDGETOWN, April 12: Australia coach John Buchanan has enlisted British Olympic rowing champion Sir Stephen Redgrave to give a pep-talk to his World Cup winners. Australia, bidding for a hat-tick of World Cup titles, already have one foot in the semi-finals with a maximum eight points in the Super Eights stage.

“The Australian coach has invited five-time Olympic rowing champion Sir Redgrave to address the players on the pressures of expectation that will accompany them through the remainder of their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup,” reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

Redgrave won a gold medal at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, as well as an additional bronze medal in 1988 and is hailed as Britain's greatest Olympian.

“Redgrave happens to be holidaying with his family in the same Barbados hotel where the Australians are staying ahead of their Super Eights game against Ireland on Friday,” said the report.

“He agreed to talk to the cricketers as they near the business end of their campaign and told them how, in the second half of his career, he made a conscious effort to create an aura about himself to maintain an edge over rivals such as Australian James Tomkins.”—AFP