KEY POINTS:
BASSETERRE, St Kitts - South Africa captain Graeme Smith has played down the significance of his team's keenly-awaited Group A clash with Australia on Sunday (NZ time).
"This game is not going to define the World Cup, but it's an important game in the World Cup," Smith told a news conference on Friday.
"As a team we're pretty relaxed about things, and we're not pinning our hopes on tomorrow's game.
"It's our next obstacle and we want to do well, and then we move on to Guyana (for the second round)."
Whoever wins the match in St Kitts will carry two points through to the Super Eight as both sides have qualified for the second stage.
South Africa came into the tournament as the world's top-ranked side but Australia are defending champions.
Matches between the two sides tend to be intense affairs, not least the epic battle they fought when they last clashed in the one-day format.
That was in Johannesburg on March 12 last year, when Australia totalled 434 for four and South Africa replied with 438 for nine to win by one wicket with a ball to spare.
"Everyone's been looking forward to this game, and it certainly has the potential to be a cracker," Smith said.
"Both teams have an awesome amount of talent and respect for each other.
"We're here to win tomorrow, and we're confident of our chances of doing that."
Smith was unfazed by Australia's decision to select powerful all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who will play his first match since tearing a bicep last month.
"We had planned that he was going to play," Smith said. "He's a world class player, and he hasn't played for a while now.
"He's going into a game with a lot of unknowns about him. He's going to be carrying a lot of responsibility, and I guess they are taking a risk."
South Africa have never advanced past the semi-finals but Smith was confident of progression this time.
"There have been one or two disappointments in the past, but I think we've learnt from them," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind that we have the potential to perform well tomorrow and in the rest of the World Cup."
Australia v South Africa factbox
Overall record: The two teams have played each other in 65 one-day internationals, with Australia winning 34, South Africa 28 and three games tied. Australia's success rate against South Africa is 55 per cent compared to their overall success rate of 63 per cent. South Africa has an overall winning rate of 64 per cent.
Last 10 games: The two sides have won five matches each. Their most recent encounter was in March 2006 in Johannesburg when South Africa made 438 to overhaul Australia's total of 434, setting a new world record for the highest successful run chase.
World Cup record: Winners in 1987, 1999 and 2003, Australia are bidding for a straight hat-trick of World Cup titles. They have played 60 matches in World Cups, winning 42, losing 17 and tying one game.
South Africa reached the semi-finals in 1992 and 1999. In 32 World Cup appearances South Africa have won 21, lost nine and tied two matches.
Recent form: A string of five losses at the hands of England and New Zealand just prior to the tournament meant Australia lost their top slot in the one-day rankings to South Africa.
The Proteas have lost just one of their last 10 games but have a reputation of choking the big matches, including the 1999 World Cup semi-final against Australia.
Key players:
Ricky Ponting (Australia) - Just eight runs shy of the 10,000-run milestone in one-day internationals, the Australian skipper is the lynchpin of his side's batting. A rich vein of form has seen him average over 72 in the last 10 games compared to his career average of 42.70.
Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa) - The architect of South Africa's record run chase last March, he is an explosive batsman capable of tearing apart the most potent bowling attacks. Gave early warning of his form in match against Netherlands when he smashed six sixes in an over, becoming the first player to pile up 36 runs in a one-day international over.
- REUTERS
