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Pakistan
ready to tackle Aussie bullies: Pybus
London,
June 22:
Pakistan will answer in kind if Australia resort to bullying tactics
in the triangular one-day series final on Saturday, according to
coach Richard Pybus.
He
told a news conference at Lord's on Friday: "The Australians
sometimes bully the opposition off the park. You can't do that with
Pakistan. We'll front up to them."
He
said Steve Waugh's side had been raised to "demi-god
status" during the start of their tour to England, but added:
"They're not super-human creatures. They have shown they're
fallible, like everyone else. It's all about pressure."
Saturday's
game will be a replay of the 1999 World Cup final, which saw
Australia outclass Pakistan in an eight-wicket win.
The
two sides have won a game against each other in the round-robin
phase of the current tournament, with the other match washed out.
England lost all six of their games.
Waugh,
responding to Pybus's suggestion that opponents had to stand up to
Australia to compete with them, said with a smile: "That's
probably right. I wouldn't say we are bullies.
"We
play the game hard and aggressively."
Waugh,
who once said his team did not abuse opponents for the sake of it
but focused instead on "mental disintegration", added:
"If you have a weakness, we try to find it out."
The
Australian captain said: "We know the way to beat Pakistan. We
just have to play that way."
Pakistan
won the last match between the sides at Trent Bridge on Tuesday
although Australia, who play England over five tests after the
one-day series, had the disadvantage of batting second under lights
in the day-nighter as conditions began to favour the bowlers during
the evening.
Asked
if his side would have won had they batted first, Waugh said:
"Ask Richard Pybus."
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