With the short boundaries at Eden Park, the big-hitting COREY ANDERSON will relish the prospects of having a go at the Aussie bowlers with powerful striking in what will be his first ODI appearance against them.

On the New Year Day in 2014, Anderson showed his skills when he broke the world record for the fastest ODI hundred with a 36-ball blitzkrieg against the West Indies in Queenstown, which was subsequently surpassed just over a year later by South African captain A.B. de Villiers.

A left-arm pace bowler and middle-order batsman, the 24-year-old Anderson’s early career was hindered by fitness problems after he had played in the 2008 U-19 World Cup in Malaysia and two years later again made the squad for the tournament, hosted by New Zealand.

Having started the month of February with a career-best 95 in the tri-series final against England in Perth, GLENN MAXWELL is more than eager to register his maiden ODI century after reaching the nervous 90s thrice in 42 matches.

The 26-year-old power-hitter began the World Cup in his typical style when he blasted a 40-ball 66 against old foes England at the MCG.

In the World T20 last March, Maxwell scored his only half-century in this format by smashing a 33-ball 74 against Pakistan in a losing cause in Dhaka.

Holding the record of the quickest ODI fifty in Australian domestic cricket (19 balls) history, Maxwell will be eyeing a big score against New Zealand in a game already billed by many as a dress-rehearsal for the March 29 final.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If you take away my last two overs in which A.B. de Villiers really took me apart [scoring 64 runs], it would have been a different story. It’s a tough task, with only four fielders outside the circle.” — West Indies captain Jason Holder commenting on South African captain’s whirlwind century knock.

STAT OF THE DAY

408 — South Africa’s total is their highest in a World Cup, their fourth-highest and the 10th best team score in ODI history. It is also the second-highest score by any team in a World Cup, after India’s 413 against Bermuda at Port-of-Spain in 2007. It also surpassed the previous highest total on Australian soil, 372-1 amassed by West Indies against Zimbabwe at Canberra’s Manuka Oval only three days ago.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2015

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