Only three more games After slow start, Australia on track for final Click here for more on this story Posted: Thursday June 10, 1999 01:37 PM   Steve Waugh: "We've just got to win every game from here. We've going pretty well, we've got three games to go as we see it." AP LONDON (AP) -- Today Zimbabwe, tomorrow the World...Cup. After Wednesday's 44-run win over tournament leader Zimbabwe in a Super Six match at Lord's, Australian skipper Steve Waugh said "as far as we see it" Australia has only three more games to play to win the World Cup. Waugh, one of only two survivors from Australia's last winning campaign in 1987, scored 62 runs and shared a match-winning 129-run partnership with twin brother Mark, who scored 104 to become the first non-Indian centurion in this tournament. Sent into bat, Australia scored 303 for four in 50 overs, after No. 3 batsman Ricky Ponting ignited the run-rate with a blazing 36 off 35 balls. The Waugh brothers combined for a third-wicket partnership of 152 and Michael Bevan (not out 37) and Tom Moody (not out 20) put on 55 in the final overs. In reply, a spirited 132 not out from opener Neil Johnson had Zimbabwe in a winning position at 150 for one until the Australian bowlers seized control of the game and restricted their opponents to 259 for six. Johnson, a South Africa discard, became the first Zimbabwean to score a century at Lord's and shared a national record second-wicket partnership (against a test-playing nation) of 114 with Murray Goodwin (47) before Bevan broke the combination to turn the direction of the game. Australia's next Super Six game is against South Africa on Sunday, by which time all the other second-round games will be complete. Steve Waugh said Australia would know, after Saturday, exactly what it has to do against South Africa in order to qualify for the semifinals. "We've just got to win every game from here," he said after Wednesday's win. "We've going pretty well -- we've got three games to go as we see it." "To beat South Africa you have to keep the intensity up. We like playing tough games in pressure situations. "I like playing South Africa, they're my favorite team to play against. I'm not afraid of them [because] we've done well against them in one-day cricket and they know it," he added. Waugh said the match against South Africa would be "a good pointer to see who goes on to win the World Cup." Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell, who won the toss, said he sent Australia into bat hoping to restrict them to 230 or 240 runs because he thought there might be some moisture in the pitch early. "To be honest we had a good first 10 overs keeping them to 35 for one but between the 10th and 15th overs we went for 50 runs and that set their innings off," he said. "We batted well, obviously at 150 odd for one that was a good launching pad but we lost three or four wickets at a critical stage and that was it. It's never easy chasing 300." For the bowlers, a pitch that Steve Waugh described as the "best batting track in the world" proved treacherous as only 10 wickets fell in 100 overs while more than 560 runs were conceded. Waugh said Australia's batting was excellent but the bowling effort was "pretty ordinary." Australian pace spearhead Glenn McGrath couldn't reproduce the devastating bowling that has seen him become the most feared bowler in the competition since returning to his favored new ball bowling role. McGrath, who took 5-14 against the West Indies -- including Brian Lara -- to ensure Australia qualified for the Super Six and removed Sachin Tendulkar in a three-wicket haul as he routed India's top order last Friday, only managed one wicket against Zimbabwe. And Shane Warne, who went into the game with a niggling shoulder injury, conceded 44 runs in his first five overs as Johnson plundered him to all parts of the ground. It was 16 years to the day since a bunch of rookies from Zimbabwe stunned Australia in a 13-run upset at Trent Bridge in the 1983 World Cup. But the Zimbabweans, making their Lord's debut, couldn't repeat the upset and, instead, extended its losing stretch against Australia to 11 games. It now trails Australia 6-1 in World Cup head-to-heads.   Related information Stories Pakistan's nerves under Zimbabwean trial Australia beats Zimbabwe in Cricket World Cup India thrashes Pakistan by 47 runs Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.