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Australia v South Africa, St Kitts
Little to separate the heavyweights
Dileep V
March 23, 2007
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Ricky Ponting: 1310 ODI runs at 40.93 against the South Africans
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Australia and South Africa have played in 65 one-day internationals, with Australia winning 34, South Africa 28, and three games ending in ties. In World Cups both have won one match each and the two sides were also involved in the first tie in World Cups, in 1999. Recent form suggests there's little to choose between the two teams, with each winning five of the last ten.
Both teams will expect solid starts from their openers - Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden average 49.17 in their 92 stands, while Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers average 58 in 16 innings.
Both Australia and South Africa haven't had a blazing start against each other. In their eight match-ups in 2006, Australia scored at 4.39 runs per over in the first 20, marginally above South Africa's 4.36. Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock have been at their economical best at the start of the innings: during the first 20 overs their runs per over are 2.75 and 2.42.
Ricky Ponting has had a fair amount of success against South Africa, with 1310 runs at an average of 40.93, as has Michael Hussey with 400 at 50. However, Symonds and Clarke have struggled against them: Symonds averages 25.6 while Clarke scores 19.50 per innings. Among the South Africans, Jacques Kallis has had modest success, with1073 at 35.53, but Herschelle Gibbs has only scored 865 runs in 32 games at 27.03.
In the last eight games against each other, both teams have turned it on in the last ten overs - South Africa has scored 7.37 runs per over while Australia has scored at 7.61.
With so many runs being scored in the last ten, bowlers from both teams have suffered. Stuart Clark has conceded 8.21 runs per over, while Nathan Bracken (7.62) and McGrath (6.96) have been only slightly more economical. For South Africa Kallis is the most expensive at 12.5 runs per over, followed by Charl Langeveldt (10.66), Makhaya Ntini (10.42), Andre Nel (9.33) and Pollock (6.51).
Ponting might be better off trying the slower bowlers during the final overs. Brad Hogg concedes only four runs in the last ten, while Symonds' economy rate during this period is 4.57.
© Cricinfo
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