Australia looking to make winning a habit: Coulter-Nile

Sharjah - The Australians turned out to be unlikely heroes, picking themselves up from the abyss of being 2-nil down to win the series against India 3-2.

The jury may be still out on Australia's title defence of the World Cup but the Aussies are setting themselves up nicely heading into the showpiece in just over two months time.
The Australians turned out to be unlikely heroes, picking themselves up from the abyss of being 2-nil down to win the series against India 3-2.
It was their first series win in two years, the last being against Pakistan at home and also their first series victory in India since 2009. They may just be peaking at the right time, so to speak, but Aussie pace ace Nathan Coulter-Nile tempered down the expectations. He did add though that if they can turn winning into a habit, it would serve them well at the World Cup.
"I don't know about peaking," Coulter-Nile said to a question from the Khaleej Times on Wednesday.
"I mean we won one series for however long but it is always good to get the win. Like I said, winning becomes a habit and so does losing. So, if we can keep winning, keep performing well, we are in good shape," he added.
The Australians had an intense training session at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, ahead of the five-match ODI series against Pakistan.
With just little time left for the World Cup, quite obviously, the talk has revolved around the tournament. And although the players will be jousting to be on the plane to England and Wales, Coulter-Nile said that the bigger picture of winning won't be lost on them.
"World Cup is always going to be spoken about. It is around the corner and people are vying for selection at the moment but we are just focussed on winning this series like we focussed on winning the last series. If we just keep winning series, hopefully we can go to the World Cup with some form," he said.
"It is the World Cup and you are driven to play every World Cup and not just play it but win it. These boys are going really well and we want to keep winning and if we can win a World Cup, that sets us up beautifully for leading into the next T20 World Cup and the next summer," added the 31-year-old, who just became a father to a second child with wife Shani Play.
Coulter-Nile made no bits about Pakistan being challenging in these conditions but said that they would take lessons from the series against India.
"Pakistan are a challenge in these conditions. They love playing in these conditions, they are a really good side. Again, like I said, spin is going to be important and they have got absolutely world class spinners. So, it is a great challenge for us and we can keep getting better playing in these conditions," he felt.
james@khaleejtimes.com