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Australia too good for Proteas

Nothing is definite in sport, as we all know, but no matter how many times they may say they are confident, South Africa will still go into their semi-final against Australia on Wednesday knowing they are big underdogs

Simon Cambers
23-Apr-2007


Glenn McGrath has been a revelation in his final international hurrah © Getty Images
Nothing is definite in sport, as we all know, but no matter how many times they may say they are confident, South Africa will still go into their semi-final against Australia on Wednesday knowing they are big underdogs.
The thing about South Africa, and this goes for most teams to be honest, is that I just don't believe that they think they can actually beat Australia when it matters.
South Africa have won 28 of the 65 one-day internationals against the Aussies but of the last 20, Australia have won 14, a pretty dominant statistic.
Ricky Ponting's side are 4/11 (1.36) to win the match while South Africa are 11/5 (3.20) - a really big price for a two-horse race, especially considering the fact that they went into the World Cup as the No 1 ranked side.
The fact is, Australia have a better side with more of their important players in top form. Glenn McGrath has been a revelation in what is his final hurrah, while Matt Hayden has set the tone at the top of the order.
South Africa will be thinking that if they can get Hayden out early then they can get into Australia, but that just brings in Ponting, then Michael Clarke. Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson and Brad Hogg, and that's not even mentioning the other opener, Adam Gilchrist, who can win a match in the blink of an eye.
South Africa will need their excellent seam attack to fire from the start and not wilt in the face of the Aussie openers, as happened when the two teams met just a few weeks ago.
Then they will need all their major batsmen, in particular Jacques Kallis to be on song - otherwise it will be left to the likes of Mark Boucher and Shaun Pollock down the order to find some runs.
It is possible, of course, that Australia will have a bad day but even then South Africa will have to be at their best to win.
Hayden is the obvious favourite to be top Australia batsman, at 11/4, while Ponting is 3/1, Gilchrist is 4/1 and Clarke is 5/1. Symonds is 7/1.
For South Africa, Kallis and captain Graeme Smith share favouritism at 3/1, while AB de Villiers is 4/1 and Herschelle Gibbs 5/1.
Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.

Simon Cambers is Cricinfo's betting correspondent