“It’s just about making sure that we’re playing each game like a final and winning the next two”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Australia captain Steve Smith has admitted that his side have to treat their last two Champions Trophy group stage matches “like a final” if they want to qualify for the semi-finals.

Smith’s comments come after Australia’s opening game against New Zealand was washed out.

Having taken only one point from their clash with the Black Caps, Australia will be looking to come out on top when they go up against Bangladesh on Monday and England on June 10.

“It’s obviously not ideal for both sides to have a washout,” Smith said. “So for us now it’s just about making sure that we’re playing each game like a final and winning the next two.

“It’s a pretty quick tournament. So you can’t really afford a washout or a loss. You’ve got to turn it around quickly now and control what you can control.”

Smith admitted that he was less than impressed with Australia’s performance with the ball against New Zealand and is hoping to see an improvement when they face Bangladesh.

Continuing on about their upcoming match against the Tigers, Smith insisted that his side cannot afford to be overconfident as their opponents will be looking to bounce back from their eight-wicket loss to England.

“I thought it was probably one of the worst bowling displays that we’ve put on for a very long time,” he said. “We’re going to be trying to win the game. So whatever team we see fit for the next match against Bangladesh at The Oval, we’ll look at the conditions there and see what sort of wicket we get.

“Obviously we’ve got to win the next game and probably quite well as well. So we’ll look at that when we get there.”