Fleming targets a perfect 10

St John's (Antigua), Apr 1 (UNI) New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming, today warned his team against any complacency in their match against Bangladesh tomorrow.

''It is super eight league and every team will battle it out for points so we have to be weary of Bangladesh, they have beaten strong team (India) to be here and we can take them lightly only at our own peril,'' the skipper told mediapersons after team's strenuous workout here.

With a convincing performance in the group league and a comfortable, seven-wicket win over the West Indies in their first Super Eight match, Fleming was of the view that his team have both the form, and the ability to go all the way, though he is first setting his sights on getting through to the semi-finals.

He, however added ''we have to be on our guards''.

''Eight points are likely to suffice,'' he said, ''but we would like 10 in the bank to be sure.'' The Kiwis and Australia are the only teams in the competition to have kept a clean slate so far, and both get to faceoff only in the final game of the Grenada leg of the Super 8s on April 20.

Fleming was cautious while talking about tomorrow's encounter saying, ''Bangladesh tripped us up in the warm-up match and Ireland have tested Pakistan. But if we continue the way we're playing, we'll not be far away.

''Each game we tick off brings us one closer to the semis - but a place in the final is really what we're after.'' The Kiwi skipper said that injuries had provided setbacks for his side, but that there was enough depth to compensate for the loss of Lou Vincent, Ross Taylor and Darryl Tuffey.

''We have had a tough time of it lately but we have been able to fall back on experienced cricketers and that has helped settle the side. We got through the first phase pretty well.'' He, however candidly admitted that teams like Sri Lanka and South Africa besides the Aussies are going to be major hurdles in his side's way to semis but added ''We have rarely been as well prepared as we are this time.

''We have looked at almost every scenario, paid a lot of attention to our planning and are as prepared as possible.

''Eight points might be enough, but ideally we would like another two at least,'' he said.

However, coach John Bracewell sounded optimistic about his team's chances against Bangladesh saying, ''We are not worried about the past and are trying to build on what we have done in the last 18-20 months. It's about reaching the semi-finals now and taking it from there.'' He said,''I am happy with the discipline this team has shown, particularly the bowlers. We have bowled dot balls over a sustained period when it mattered and hardly conceded extras, especially no-balls. This is a result of the way we have conducted ourselves at the nets.

About the pitches they have played on so far, Bracewell said, ''There have been patches when we were out of the game, but it didn't take us long to pull things back and reestablish ourselves on top. The beauty of this team is its ability to seamlessly slip into plan B.

''It's a competition where you need to get through safely in the first 15 overs instead of attacking,'' he said, adding ''There are many steps to be cleared before we start looking at the top.

If we try to jump steps, there is every possibility that we might trip up.'' UNI