World Cup 2015: Australia to approach Pakistan game as 'virtual final', says skipper Michael Clarke

Australia cricket team captain Michael Clarke has claimed that he would approach their World Cup quarterfinal tie against Pakistan on Friday like a 'final', insisting that they would get a 'tough challenge' from Misbah-ul Haq's 'under-rated' team.

Pakistan have lost nine of their last 10 one-dayers to Australia on Australian soil, including the last seven, but Clarke refused to take victory for granted. The skipper said that he believes Pakistan has been 'under-rated' for a long time especially in the shorter form of the game, insisting that they have got a 'lot of talent', The Dawn reported.

Clarke claimed that Pakistan's attack is 'very good' and they have got a 'good mix of youth and experience'. He insisted that it would be a 'tough challenge' for Australia and he believes that 'they have to be at their best to beat Misbah's men'. He claimed that they would 'treat this like a World Cup final'.

The skipper insisted that they are 'focused on making sure that they can have success in this game'.