Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes New Zealand's "love of a scrap" makes them as big a threat as anyone to his side's hopes of winning an unprecedented third straight World Cup title.

The trans-Tasman rivals, already through to the semi-finals, meet in Grenada on Friday for their last Super Eights game in what could be a dress rehearsal for the April 28 final in Barbados.

In February, New Zealand bounced back from the disappointment of finishing third in the Commonwwealth Bank Series in Australia, won by England, to defeat the world champions 3-0 on home soil.

The Black Caps, currently second in the Super Eights standings behind the title-holders, had been, until Thursday's six-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka, the only other unbeaten side in the World Cup.

But Ponting said: "New Zealand are playing as well as anyone at the moment.

"They've been playing pretty much one-day cricket almost 12 months now, they've played hardly any other cricket. They've been focusing wholly and solely on this event.

"They didn't play very well in Australia in the Commonwealth Bank Series but we then went there and they played some unbelievable cricket, scored some big runs and chased some big totals down.

"There's no doubt at the moment they've got a bit of confidence and when they are actually at full strength, which they are pretty close to now, they are a very competitive side."

New Zealand have never won the World Cup or even reached the final although they have now reached the last four for the fifth time in the tournament's nine edition history.

"They love a fight, they love a scrap," Ponting said. "They are a pretty proud team and I've got a lot of respect for them."

New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris is averaging over 100 with the bat in the Caribbean after scoring a century and four fifties.

Fast bowler Shane Bond has taken 12 wickets at under 25 apiece in an attack that also features experienced left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori.

"Styris has been good for them so far, Bond's obviously very good and Vettori is always good in these sorts of conditions," Ponting added.

Bond, unsually for current players, has a better one-day record against Australia than for his career as a whole.

In 11 games against Australia he has taken 34 wickets at an average of under 14 apiece.

And three of the former policeman's four hauls of five wickets or more in an innings in one-dayers have come against Australia.

By contrast his 124 wickets in 66 career one-dayers have cost 19 apiece.

"At the last World Cup he took six for 23 against us in Port Elizabeth and he got a hat-trick against us this year," said Ponting.

"He's one of those guys, you have to pay the utmost attention to. He's very dangerous with the new ball and (New Zealand captain Stephen) Fleming uses him as a strike bowler through the middle to try to break partnerships and he generally does that.

"You certainly have to be right on your game. He's an unusual sort of bowler in that, if anything, he'll drift the ball back into the right-hander with the new ball and right-arm bowlers don't do that very much around the world and he used his yorker very well.

"When that New Zealand game comes around, I'm sure at our team meeting we'll be speaking a lot about the appropriate way to play him early on."

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)