Shane Watson
Australia's Shane Watson reacts as he walks off the field after being dismissed by England's Stuart Broad for a duck during their Cricket World Cup match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) February 14, 2015. REUTERS/Hamish Blair REUTERS/Hamish Blair

All-rounder Shane Watson has warned the Aussie squad of a ruthless home reception ahead of the blockbuster match against New Zealand in the ongoing 2015 Cricket World Cup. The match between two of the tournament favourites will take place at Eden Park in Auckland on Feb. 28.

“I know it’s going to be very hostile,” Watson told The Australian. “The times we’ve played over here before we know that we’re not really the favourites when we go out on the ground but that’s the exciting thing about going to play in New Zealand, we know we’re not very welcome.”

According to Watson, the Kiwis and their fans will do everything they can to make sure that the Aussie squad does not triumph. Watson added that Eden Park is an “interesting place” to play cricket, especially with its history from a rugby point of view.

Eden Park has always been a rancorous venue for Australia’s national rugby team. Australia’s Wallabies has lost all but one match against New Zealand’s All Blacks from pre-World War until the Championship Era at Eden Park. However, the Aussie cricketers have performed better against New Zealand at Eden Park, winning two of the most recent one-day internationals.

The match between Australia and New Zealand on Feb. 28 is expected to be a blockbuster. It will be a repeat of their last meeting in the same venue when Australia was upset by New Zealand during the 1992 Cricket World Cup, in which both countries have co-hosted. Australia failed to make it in the semifinals as a result of the loss.

Australia and New Zealand are the top two teams on this year’s tournament leaderboard. Australia beat England in the tournament opener before the second match against Bangladesh was scrubbed down. New Zealand, on the other hand, has won all three of its pool matches against England, Scotland, and Sri Lanka. Saturday’s match could play a huge role in determine which nations finishes on top of the standings ahead of the knockout round.

Australia’s 2015 Cricket World Cup Fixtures (Venue)

Feb. 14: Australia vs. England (Melbourne Cricket Ground) Australia beat England by 111 runs

Feb. 21: Australia vs. Bangladash (Gabba) Matched washed out

Feb. 28: Australia vs. New Zealand (Eden Park)

March 4: Australia vs. Afghanistan (WACA)

March 8: Australia vs. Sri Lanka (Sydney Cricket Ground)

March 14: Australia vs. Scotland (Bellerive Oval)

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