Australia eye Twenty/20 World Cup

SYDNEY, Jan 10 (Reuters) The lure of winning another World Cup has convinced Australia captain Ricky Ponting to start taking Twenty/20 a bit more serious.

Ponting has always regarded the abbreviated form of the game as little more than a hit-and-giggle but is starting to think more seriously about it with the inaugural Twenty/20 World Cup scheduled for South Africa this year.

Australia have only played five Twenty/20 internationals but are looming as the early favourites to win the title after racking up a record total of 221 for five in their 77 run-win over England yesterday.

Australia's batsmen smacked 15 fours and 14 sixes in a devastating display of power hitting that left their opponents looking on in bemusement and spectators ducking for cover.

''I enjoy playing the game but I think it's best played when it is just a fun sort of game and there is not too much riding on it,'' Ponting told a news conference.

''We know that there's a world championship coming up and I guess if we keep playing like that, then bring it on.'' Twenty/20 was invented in England but English skipper Michael Vaughan said his team were no longer setting the pace in the high-speed form of the game.

''We're the guys who started Twenty20 cricket and we should really be putting up a good fight when we get to that World Cup next September,'' Vaughan said.

''I love the whole aspect that it's over in three hours, you cram the crowd in and you have the music and it's very razzmatazz, I think it's good for the game.'' REUTERS AY KP1014