LONDON, July 11: Victorious New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was thrilled with their triangular series win on Saturday but said his side were still a long way behind world champions Australia.

Despite their progress, Fleming still believes Australia are the team to beat. "We are not that close (to Australia). There are huge areas for us to improve," he said. "But we are gaining on them."

New Zealand lost the Test series 3-0 to England but Fleming was not unduly concerned by the disparity in their performances in the two versions of the game. "We are intelligent on and off the ball," he told a news conference. "People say why don't we transfer this to Test cricket. We are nearly there."

The next chance to test them selves against Australia will be in the ICC Champions Trophy in England in September. "We are looking forward to the next challenge in the Champions Trophy," he said. -Reuters