Australia hammered out a warning to India and New Zealand that they had better come up with something special if they want to get their hands on the CricInfo Women's World Cup after Saturday's final.

India and New Zealand will play their semi-final on Wednesday to decide who will challenge Australia for the world honours.

Whoever wins the right faces a daunting task based on yesterday's batting assault by the Australian top order as South Africa was sent packing to a nine-wicket loss

South Africa got in the way of the runaway steamroller that was the long-standing Australian opening batting combination of Lisa Keightley and captain Belinda Clark. If they have ever batted better it must have been compulsive viewing because this certainly was.

They scored 170 runs in 26.2 overs before Clark was given out stumped, on television evidence, for 75 off 79 balls.

Keightley was the CricInfo Player of the Match for her 91 scored off 97 balls.

It was an astounding display of class from the pair.

Keightley, the most consistent batsman of the tournament who scored her fourth 50 of the tournament, and Clark, one of the finest batsmen in the women's game, who until today had shown only glimpses of her world-class form.

Clark's timing, literally and metaphorically, could not have been better. On the superb pitches that have been provided for the tournament, the Australians have been at home and they gave a graphic demonstration of hitting, with precision, to all points of the BIL Oval.

Clark's driving, straight and through the covers, was a demonstration that she has timed her run with precision.

And now she and her side can start thinking about the final.

"We've avoided talking about it so far but now we're there we can do that," she said.

"They let us get off to a quick start and we got the pace going. I'm reasonably happy with where we're at.

"Most of us are at the top 10 % of our performance levels," she said.

There was cause for concern with the side's fielding which Clark described as "a little bit disappointing."

She said just off the pitch block there was a bit of a ridge which had been causing some problems for fielders but she expected attention to that at practice over the next few days would sort that out.

Keightley, who has had an eight-year association opening with Clark at club, state and international level until this year, said the pair had no plan today.

"We know each other's play pretty well and we just run with it," she said.

"We just wanted to approach it [today's run chase] the same way as always, to be positive and run hard between the wickets," she said.

There was also a feeling of relief, once the game was won that the team was now in the final.

"It is not as easy as everyone was making it out to be," she said.

The side's fielding effort was also a factor .

"We let ourselves down and were a bit flat afterwards. But it was good to get the game over and done with," she said.

South African captain Kim Price had been looking for 220 runs and knew the loss of wickets midway through the innings had not helped the cause.

"We lost our way in the middle and while we had 180 and thought they still had to get the runs, we bowled both sides of the wicket and the way they bat they make you look worse than you are," she said.

The nine-wicket thumping was not the retirement present Price wanted and she said the team would not be disheartened.

When it toured Australia three summers ago, South Africa was only making scores of 120. It scored 180 today and the side was improving.

"We couldn't handle the speed of Cathryn Fitzpatrick but we have got rid of that block now.

"We decided we would try to take their bowlers on and how many times has Fitzpatrick gone for 48 off 10 overs?" she asked.

It took some tight bowling by Karen Rolton 0-10 off eight overs, Therese McGregor 0-31 from 10 overs (but 0-10 off eight) and a world record equalling 3-39 by Charmaine Mason to contain the South Africans.

Mason shares the world record of 76 wickets in One-Day Internationals with New Zealand off-spinner Catherine Campbell.

Mason, especially, picked up wickets that broke developing partnerships and knocked the stuffing out of the South Africans.

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