Cricket World Cup: South Africa v Australia predictions and cricket betting tips
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Sky Sports Cricket & Main Event, 8.30am Thursday
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South Africa v Australia predictions
South Africa and Australia both won seven of their nine league-stage matches at the Cricket World Cup and their semi-final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata should be a cracker.
The Aussies, five-time world champions in 50-over cricket, are favourites to extend a seven-game winning streak after starting their campaign with defeats to India and South Africa.
The Proteas have never reached a World Cup final, losing all four of their previous semi-finals. Their overall record in semi-finals, including T20 World Cups and the Champions Trophy, is ten defeats out of 11 and their batsmen can expect the odd reminder of that trend from chirpy Australian fielders.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma is expected to play despite suffering a hamstring strain against Afghanistan last week and a poor weather forecast in Kolkata adds to the intrigue of the semi-final.
A reserve day is available – New Zealand's semi-final win over India in 2019 was played over two days – but both teams have some serious batting power if the contest is reduced from 50 overs per side.
Australia had three of the five leading six-hitters in the league stage – Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh and David Warner – while South Africa are averaging more than ten maximums per game at the tournament.
Maxwell's 22 sixes included 18 in brilliant innings against Afghanistan and the Netherlands and Marsh filled his boots against eliminated Bangladesh last Saturday but South Africa's hitters have delivered on a more consistent basis.
They hit eight sixes to Australia's zero in last month's 134-run win in Lucknow, having also beaten the Aussies by 111, 164 and 122 runs in the last three games of September's home ODI series.
Before this month's drubbing by India at Eden Gardens, South Africa had won the sixes battle 15-4 against New Zealand and 13-9 against England and their middle-order men Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller are two of the cleanest hitters in the game.
Aiden Markram started the tournament with a 49-ball century against Sri Lanka and the Proteas' number four is worth backing to top-score in Kolkata.
Markram made an ODI career-best 175 against the Netherlands in March, scored 102 not out, eight and 93 in September's wins over Australia, and cracked 56 off 44 balls against them in the league meeting.
