FLORENCE HALL, Trelawny:

South Africa's promotion ahead of Australia and a string of losses suffered recently by the latter have crated quite a discussion regarding the tag of favourites.

But Ricky Ponting and his men from Down Under, the defending champions, are looking to settle that argument with a winning goal.

"I think it's a feather in everyone's cap to be a part of the number oneranked team but we don't know how many points we were or how many points back now or what we need to catch South Africa.

"I guess it's an interesting situation for us to be in, we're probably the number two ranked team at the moment but probably favoured to win this event, so it's a bit strange," he told journalists at a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Rose Hall, St. James, yesterday morning.

Big challenge

"We've got to get back on top, that's a big challenge for all of us.

"We're wholly and solely focused on this World Cup and playing our best cricket through this World Cup. So if after a few games or at the end of this tournament we happen to be back on top again then that's great, but if we're not then there's nothing we can do about it."

Ponting added: "I'm really confident in the group of players here that we can play some great cricket through this World Cup. If we go through and make the semi-finals, that'd be a great result.

"The way we played in our last few games, I don't think it really matters too much when you come into a World Cup ... it's about the knockout stage, winning those games and going through," the Aussie skipper said.

"All the guys have got over that and are pretty confident that we can play good cricket in the next six weeks."

Strengthen thoughts

Their recent losses and the resurgence of other teams have also served to strengthen thoughts of this being the most open race for the title but Ponting says it has always been the same.

"I just don't see that it's more open than any other. I think every World Cup that you go to, it's likely for any team to win when you arrive.There are a lot of good one-day teams here but it's the same every World Cup that you go to."

They open against Scotland on Wednesday in Group A, which also includes South Africa and The Netherlands. There's been quite a bit of chat about minnows and Ponting says their involvement could lead to improvements in the sport.

"There's certainly a time and aplace for those teams. The bottom line is those teams are here to play in the World Cup and if it's going to beneficial for their cricket that they're here, then I guess they should be here."

- A.B.