Adam Gilchrist: "Graeme Smith is a very important player and we want to keep him down." © Getty Images Enlarge

Adam Gilchrist says Australia will attempt to continue their dominance over Graeme Smith when the sides meet in the crucial World Cup group game in St Kitts on Saturday. Smith had a horrible time against Australia during the 2005-06 tour and Gilchrist, the vice-captain, said he would be a target.

"We had a really good stranglehold on him in Australia and even in South Africa in the main part of the contests," Gilchrist said in The Age. "He's a very important player and we will want to try and keep him down."

During the Australia leg of the contest Smith struggled in the ODIs and the Tests, but he scored a century and a 90 in the following limited-overs series in South Africa. "He got 90 off [55 balls] in that chase in Jo'burg so he gives them some tremendous momentum at the top of the order," Gilchrist said. "We'll be aware of all their batting line-up because they have all hurt us at some stage, and equally I think our guys have got a hold of their guys a few times. That's the nature of the game and we play enough games against each other that it's going to pan out like that."

South Africa and Australia have both completed huge wins over The Netherlands while Australia comfortably beat Scotland, who play South Africa on Tuesday. If both teams progress to the Super Eights the winner of Saturday's match will take two points into the next round.