Australia vs South Africa preview

Posted on | April 25, 2007 | No Comments

South Africa and Australia will battle it out in St Lucia for the rights to play Sri Lanka in the final of the 2007 World Cup. The game is a repeat of the 1999 semifinal, where Australia progressed to the final thanks to their super six win despite the semifinal ending in a tie. This time around, the super eights don’t count, and if there is a tie, there will be a bowl out to decide the winner.

Since that semifinal in Edgbaston 8 years ago, Australia have never lost any World Cup game. Their unbeaten record now stretches to an incredible 27 games, and it will need something special from South Africa to break the record. The two teams met in the group stage at St Kitts, and Australia won by 83 runs. Although the margin may suggest that the Australians won easily, let me assure you that South Africa were in with a serious chance when De Villiers and Smith were batting. Only when De Villiers was run out and Smith fell victim to cramps did the game shift in Australia’s favour.

Australia have been in excellent form at this World Cup, and the second ranked side in the world will start favourites for this game. Matthew Hayden has turned into a run machine, amassing 580 runs in 9 games with a strike rate of greater than a run a ball. Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have not been as prolific, but have scored enough to ensure that the opposition do not take them for granted. Hayden scored the fastest century in World Cup history in the group stage game at St Kitts against the South Africans. He took Shaun Pollock to the cleaners in that game, and the Proteas struggled to recover from that early onslaught. Shaun Tait, with his fast yorkers, will play an important role for Australia. He was partly responsible for South Africa losing their way in the middle overs in the group game. However Tait can lose his accuracy when attacked, and the Proteas will have taken note of that fact. Tait has 19 wickets to his name in this tournament. Left arm spinner Brad Hogg, who dismissed Gibbs in the St Kitts game with a beautiful wrong un, has also claimed 19 wickets. Hogg is Australia’s weapon- the Proteas are not exceptional players of spin, and they do not have a quality spinner in their line up. Glenn McGrath, playing his last world cup, has sent 22 batsmen back to the pavillion.

South Africa are in their third World Cup semifinal. The road was filled with hiccups, with losses to New Zealand, Bangladesh and Australia. They had a must win game against England where they annihilated the English. That would have helped in relieving the chokers tag that has been thrust upon them. The South African bowling composition is unclear. Should they choose to stick with the same team that bundled England out for 154, Makhaya Ntini misses out. Langdevelt might open the bowling to shield Pollock from Hayden. Although the pitch is expected to be on the slower side, it is unlikely that they will play Robin Peterson. There will be a little bit of moisture early on, and the seamers must exploit those conditions if they get first use of the cherry. Herschelle Gibbs, possibly playing his last world cup, will be keen to atone for the dropped catch in the super six game 8 years ago. Graeme Smith was a doubt with his knee injury, but given the importance of this game, he will play. Much will also depend on the way Kallis, De Villiers and Boucher play. Mental toughness is important.

Australia start favourites and a repeat of the 1996 final looks imminent. But the South Africans will be keen for revenge, and on their day the Proteas can make the best team look ordinary. They can also chase big totals- the 434 being an example. And in cricket’s biggest event, one bad day can send you out. The South Africans are underdogs and have absolutely nothing to lose, and this might just work in their favour. The Aussies simply need to guard against over confidence, which looks like the only thing that can see them going out at this stage. Enjoy the game

Related posts:

1. Australia vs South Africa
2. South Africa vs Bangladesh preview
3. Australia vs South Korea betting preview- Asian Cup
4. Scotland vs South Africa preview
5. South Africa vs Sri Lanka preview

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