Pakistan and Australia go into Friday's World Cup quarterfinal burdened by a history of tension, setting the stage for an explosive contest at the Adelaide Oval.

Pakistan's head coach, Waqar Younis, admits previous matches between the Teams have been hard-fought and he expected another tough contest for a place in the semifinals.

"I won't call Australia bitter rivals but there is a fierce rivalry that should provide for a high-intensity game," Waqar, one of the game's great fast bowling exponents, said.