South Africa skipper Graeme Smith opened the psychological battle with Australian rival Ricky Ponting on Wednesday by insisting that being the best in the world does matter.

Ponting has been keen to stress that his team's demotion from the top of the world rankings for the first time since the system was introduced over four years ago was irrelevant.

Smith, however, is adamant that his team's rise to the top of the pile is reward for years of hard work.

"Quite naturally we are extremely proud of the number one ranking, but that was built up over two years of playing good and tough cricket and we need to do the same in the World Cup," said Smith.

Ponting said that he pays little attention to the rankings which were introduced in 2002.

"I don't know how much attention South Africa pays to those rankings, but I do know that our team doesn't pay too much attention whatsoever," said the captain of the two-time defending World Cup champions.

"It's a feather in everyone's cap to be part of the number one team in the world, but I can't tell you how many points in front we were, and how many we are behind now, and what it's going to take to get back there now.

"If we are back on top after this World Cup that would be great, but if we are not, we can't do anything about it.

"We want to win every game that we play, and that's the way we train, and we prepare. If we are able to win a few more games in this World Cup, and South Africa does not, we will probably leapfrog them again."

Smith, whose side face Australia in a crucial Group A game here on March 24, also hit back at the critics who claim that his side are chokers.

The tag has arisen because of their dramatic collapse in the 1999 World Cup and their first round elimination on home soil in 2003 when they crashed out after misunderstanding the rain rules in a match with Sri Lanka.

"The chokers' tag is something we have always struggled to get rid of. It is something this team has found quite amusing at times. This team has played perfectly well under pressure and will continue to do so," insisted the skipper.

Meanwhile, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has warned his team not to slip-up in their matches against Group A minnows Netherlands and Scotland before they take on Australia.

"I have always described the games against the Netherlands and Scotland as two scary games and we don't want any slip-ups in these games," Arthur said.

South Africa open their campaign with a Group A match against the Netherlands at Warner Park here on Friday.

South Africa, who have never won the World Cup since their re-admittance in international cricket in 1992, had a lacklustre build-up to the tournament as they struggled in their warm-up matches.

They were given some worrying moments by debutants Ireland before they managed to register an unimpressive 35-run win. They then went down to Pakistan by seven wickets in their second warm-up.

Arthur, however, believed the real competition would mean something else to his team.

"We have given the guys a little bit of leeway up until now, but this is now time to start the real competition and we are really keen that it gets underway," said Arthur.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)