And he said he was relishing the prospect of skippering his country against the Pumas.

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Delve confirmed his move to Australia after skippering Gloucester to a 19-0 victory over Leeds.

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Pietersen has, however, accepted the job of skippering Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, which begins later this month.

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Crossing the finishing line in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour at 12:46pm local time (23:46 GMT), Dalton and his crew had fought off endless challenges over the previous 24 hours from the American Dennis Conner, skippering Toshiba.

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Meanwhile Mitchell Johnson, who bolstered the Australia innings with an attacking 53 then captured two wickets, praised the captaincy of Michael Clarke, who is skippering the side in the absence of the injured Ricky Ponting.

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"I know all the players have had one eye on the Ashes for a long time and we've been building our Test cricket up along the way to cope well and play well in English conditions, " said Ponting, 34, who will be skippering Australia for a third Ashes series.

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