Super Series set for exciting start today

Unveiling a lineup featuring nine players with Test centuries, the World XI made the first move to ensure the Super Series amounts to more than a glorified cricket exhibition.

Promoted as a contest between the best team in the world No 1-ranked Australia against the best players from the rest of the world, the Super Series starts today with the first of three limited-overs internationals at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium.

World XI skipper Shaun Pollock and Australia captain Ricky Ponting both supported the International Cricket Council's decision to grant full status to the one-dayers and the subsequent six-day Test in Sydney, predicting an intense series.

"There'll be no free deliveries or anything other than world class cricket," Pollock told a news conference on the eve of the opening match. "We're not looking to shirk it. We want to win."

Australia is coming off a Test series defeat in England, where it lost the Ashes for the first time in 18 years, and has a depleted bowling attack after injuries forced Shaun Tait and Brad Hogg out of the squad.

Under pressure

"We understand that Australia is under pressure coming off an Ashes defeat and we'd like to apply similar pressure onto them," Pollock said. "They've got a lot to prove, being back in their own country and they want to turn it around. So there's pressure on us as world players to come out and perform."

Ponting said Australia, winners of the last two World Cups and with only four losses in its last 33 one-day internationals at home, should not be underestimated.

"There's probably some more expectation on the world team, because they're probably expected to win," Ponting said. "But that's not the way I'm looking at it. We know that we'll be ultra competitive.

"Let's not forget, the last one-day series we played in we won. And that's pretty much the same bunch of players we've got here this group has got a lot of confidence from what we've done recently."

The World XI bats right down the order, with only No 11 Shoaib Akhtar yet to register at least a Test 50.

Andrew Flintoff, player of the series in England's 2-1 Ashes triumph last month, is expected to bat at No 7, behind Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Rahul Dravid, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis and Kevin Pietersen.

Pollock and Daniel Vettori each with two test hundreds are expected at No 8 and No 9. Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan has a highest test score of 67 and should bat one place above Shoaib.

Shahid Afridi was named to the 12-man squad, but is tipped to be the super sub.

Under new rules being trialled here by the ICC, each team will be allowed a tactical substitution allowing the 12th man to bat and bowl and on-field umpires can refer any decisions to the TV umpire.

Pollock said the World selectors were intent on going into each match with the best XI rather than adopting a rotation policy.

With so much individual talent in the lineup, deciding who to field where and batting and bowling orders will be crucial for Pollock.