The South African team that thrashed England in Barbados on Tuesday was unrecognisable from the sorry bunch that crashed to defeat against Bangladesh in Guyana on April 7.
BRIDGETOWN/BARBADOS: The South African team that thrashed England in Barbados on Tuesday was unrecognisable from the sorry bunch that crashed to defeat against Bangladesh in Guyana on April 7.
Fans now want to know which South African team will turn up to play Australia in the World Cup semi-finals in St Lucia next Wednesday.
Graeme Smith's side looked invincible in their nine-wicket conquest of a poorly performing England team, who were booed off the field by their own supporters.
But in Grenada on Saturday, South Africa seemed way off their game and were comfortably beaten by New Zealand.
"Not one of the guys moped in the dressing room or said we were in trouble after the game against New Zealand," all-rounder Andrew Hall said.
Hall said the South Africans had remained focused on the fact that they needed to beat England to reach the semi-finals.
"We knew we could win what amounted to a quarter-final," Hall said. "In the World Cup you grow quickly if you go through a few tough times."
Hall starred against England by taking five for 18, his maiden five-wicket haul in his 84th one-day international, as Michael Vaughan's side imploded to a total of 154.
South Africa, led by an aggressive unbeaten 89 by Smith, won the match in just the 20th over of their reply.
Australia beat South Africa by 83 runs in a group match in St Kitts on March 24. The South Africans had seemed on course to reel in Australia's big total of 377 for six before faltering to be dismissed for 294.
"I don't think any of the guys have spoken about this game since we played it," Hall said. "We knew we could have got that score, we still believe we could have won that game.
"But we knew we would have the opportunity to play them again in the tournament and we know what we have to do."
In the teams' previous one-day international against each other in Johannesburg in March 2006, South Africa scored a then world record 438 for nine to win the series-deciding match by one wicket with a ball to spare.
That was widely seen in South Africa as marking the end of Australia's traditional dominance over the South African team.
That theory gained currency when Smith's men replaced the Australians as the game's top-ranked side going into the World Cup in March.
Australia, unbeaten so far in this World Cup and gunning for an unprecedented third title in a row, have since reclaimed that mantle and they will be keen to prove that they should never have lost it when the teams clash in St Lucia.
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