Monday, 10th September 2007 at 12:01 pm

Beating Australia always fun…

We won’t get too carried away by it, but as omens go, it could certainly have been worse. The weekend warm-up for the Twenty20 World Cup offered a few psychological points for the winners ahead of the tournament proper, and no game offered more than South Africa’s clash with Australia. Which means the collective smile on the South African team’s faces will be almost as wide as Feverpitcher’s this morning…

As cricket’s most unpredictable hybrid, there’s only so much you can read into the win, but an eight wicket triumph chasing down 180 offers plenty to take cheer from, particularly as the Australians pride themselves on being the game’s most belligerent artisans. Clean hitters abound in the South African line-up, Graeme Smith leading a potent side that looks a good bet on home turf.

If cricket plays out as it has in the past, then South Africa will make the final, and then lose to Australia after a last ball run-out/Duckworth Lewis miscalculation/inexplicable collapse. But Feverpitcher is plumping firmly for a change in storyline at a Cricket World Cup, and the thumping dished out to the Aussies only increases our optimism: the image of Smith and Smit both lifting World Cups this year is particularly appealing.