We played some outstanding cricket: Clarke

Sydney, March 26: Australia skipper Michael Clarke on Thursday said he is proud the way his team played in the semi-fil against India but pointed out that the fil against New Zealand will be a tough one on Sunday.

“Obviously I am really excited, the boys played some outstanding cricket,” Clarke said at the post match presentation ceremony. “It's a wonderful achievement. We're proud to make the fil but it's going to be tough against New Zealand.”

Clarke heaped praise on Smith for his match-winning knock.

“Smithy was hitting the ball so sweetly. He played an outstanding knock,” he said.

The 33-year-old said that losing to New Zealand in the group stage of the tourment sounded a warning bell for them. “Losing to New Zealand in the group stage gave us a kick up the backside. The boys have turned up to training and the results have showed that,” Clarke said.

The four-time world champions face New Zealand in the fil at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

Speaking about the opponent and the big match, the skipper said, “New Zealand is a great team. It's always good to play them, we hope plenty of Aussies come out to support us.”

When the right-handed-batsman was asked if India’s skipper Dhoni would play the 2019 World Cup, Clarke said, “I'm sure he will be, he has a lot of cricket in him.” IANS