They are the traditional rivals. They have had a lot of sour history behind. They started off as pre-tournament favorites, and are reckoned to be the only true competitors for each other. This, clearly, is a special game. Every cricket lover will vouch for the fact that each time Australia and South Africa face each other, there is likely to be some exciting stuff on offer.
Australia has so far had an unbeaten run in this world cup (hell, in the last two World Cups) and there has only been one match where they seemed beatable – against South Africa. The 1st round match contained several points which will be studied closely by the Australians. To start with, it was only the wicket of De Villers and Smith retiring hurt that helped Australia set the tone of victory. Secondly, all the wickets that Africans lost were mainly due to pressure piled on by themselves and not an end product of outstanding bowling talent. Lets face it, Australia is not the greatest bowling side this World Cup.
South Africa, on a totally different tangent, has secured their place in Semis with lot of struggle. On one hand, they won their games against England, West Indies and the other semi-finalists Sri Lanka. On the other hand, they collapsed miserably against Bangladesh. Having said that, many will agree that this African team has the potential and more importantly, the courage to beat the Australians. Potentially, the Australians face their biggest challenge in this face-off.
The Australian Powerhouse.
For Australia, Hayden, Ponting and Clarke are the foundation of their batting. With deviation points of 52, 49 and 43, their wicket carries the most value. To add to this, one may take a note of the fact that Hayden has already scored 580 runs so far and is undoubtedly the most dangerous batsman this tournament. Also, Hayden enjoys an amazing 50-100 conversion rate of 75%. This is a man can take the match away from you within no time. One more fact that will raise many eyebrows is that the Australian tailenders haven’t come out to bat in the entire tournament till now! And Gilchrist is yet to taste success! Well, undoubtedly, batting is the key ingredient in the recipe of success for Australians.
McGrath, Bracken and Hogg have been competent in carrying the burden of the team bowling. Especially McGrath, who seems determined to make something special out of his last days in international cricket as player. He has so far grabbed 22 wickets and leads the pack of bowlers with an average 17 points better than the team’s overall average. Following him are Hogg and Bracken with an average that deviates positively by 16 points from the overall team average. So far, so good.
Proteas: The ultimate warriors.
For Africans, the batting responsibility rest on reliable shoulders of Kallis, Gibbs and Smith. With averages rising above the team batting average by 63, 28 and 22 respectively, they will face the brunt of the Australian attack. Kallis seems to be in his best form with 4 big innings already in his bag whereas Gibbs looks dangerous with his breathtaking strike rate of over100. The only thing that makes African batting look fragile is their collapse against Bangladesh in the last stage.
In the bowling department, Pollock has been a major disappointment. Although economical, he is yet to get his striking form back. Surprisingly, Hall and Langeveldt are the best of the lot with averages 16 and 12 points more than the team’s average respectively. Overall, the bowling department has grossly underachieved with highest wicket taker having only 14 scalps. Time for Pollock and Ntini to stand-up to the occasion and deliver.
Partners forever:
Ponting and Hayden seem to hold the key partnerships for Australia whereas Villers and Kallis do the same for South Africa. They are the priced wickets for the opposition. However, of the four, Hayden is the most dangerous as he not only holds an end up but also butchers the bowling.
The Royal face-off:
Going by their performance so far, Australians can score 295 in 50 overs whereas Africans score only 260. This gap could well make the difference. However, in terms of bowling, both concede 237 runs each innings but Australians edge out with more capability to take wickets.
Hogg and McGrath may well play the decisive role when Australians bowl. Hogg was the reason behind the African downfall when they last met, where he took the important wickets of Kallis, Gibbs and Smith. The africans look bleak against the spin attack and this can be easily targeted by Australians.
So, what to expect:
Although Australians seem more powerful and set, logic is irrelevant in knockouts. Both the sides know that the cup is just two good performances away. At the end of the day, it could well boil down to which of the two sides is more desperate to win.