View photosKEY POINTS:
ST GEORGE'S, Grenada - New Zealand are through to the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup after comprehensively defeating South Africa by five wickets at Grenada National Stadium today.
Stephen Fleming (50) and the in-form Scott Styris (56) ensured the sterling service provided by New Zealand's bowlers was not in vain as they paved the way for a comfortable victory -- although it was not secured until the second ball of the penultimate over when Brendon McCullum slammed Andre Nel to the fence.
That strike carried New Zealand to 196 for five, past South Africa's insufficient 193 for seven.
New Zealand's seventh victory from eight games at the World Cup made amends for an unimpressive six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka on Thursday and guarantees that a final four berth for the first time since England in 1999.
It has not yet been determined who and where they will play on April 24 or 25.
New Zealand, now on 10 points, provisionally improved to second spot behind Australia who lead on net run rate.
Sri Lanka are third with eight points but they have a game in hand.
South Africa have now lost three times in the Caribbean and they must win their final Super Eights match against England in Barbados on Wednesday (NZT).
The Black Caps have one more Super Eights match here on Saturday (NZT), against current tournament leader Australia, who are the only unbeaten team in the competition .
Fleming and Styris shared a steadying partnership of 78 for the third wicket though realistically New Zealand were never in danger of suffering back-to-back losses after restricting South Africa to a less than par score.
By calling correctly Fleming condemned South Africa to bat in difficult conditions on a pitch that offered uneven bounce plus swing and seam movement -- although curiously counterpart Graeme Smith said he would have batted first.
The wisdom of that rationale was swiftly under scrutiny as opening bowlers Shane Bond and James Franklin had South Africa under the cosh from the outset.
Part-time bowler Craig McMillan, later named man of the match, then snared three key wickets in 20 balls as South Africa's chances of posting a defendable total evaporated under cloudy skies.
McMillan, who had never taken a wicket with his medium pacers in two previous World Cups, crucially snared top scorer Herschelle Gibbs (60) with the last ball off his first over before removing Ashwell Prince (37) and the potentially dangerous Mark Boucher (16) in a stunning five-over cameo that reduced South Africa to 149 for six in the 43rd over. He ended with three for 23.
Ultimately set an asking rate of just 3.88 runs per over as batting conditions flattened out, New Zealand reached the target in languid circumstances after South Africa's bowlers were let down by butter-fingered fielders.
Fleming had lives on 24 and 36 while Styris had a let off on four when Prince could only take the sting off a pull shot.
Boucher and Gibbs were culpable for enabling Fleming to post his 49th ODI half century (off 83 balls) though he was dismissed by the gloveman next ball.
Shaun Pollock's return paid instant dividends when Boucher pouched a thin edge while standing up to the veteran though New Zealand were already closing in on victory after progressing cautiously to three figures.
Once that milestone was ticked off Fleming and Styris took 20 off the next two overs before Pollock, rated the world's best limited overs bowler, struck with the first delivery of his second spell.
It was the sort of inspired bowling change that had earlier featured throughout South Africa's innings as Fleming displayed an uncanny knack of rotating his seven bowlers at exactly the right time.
After Bond and Franklin removed openers Smith (1) and AB de Villiers (0), South Africa were rebuilding at 52 for two in the 20th until Daniel Vettori had Kallis skying to cover with the last ball of his first over.
However, Fleming's master stroke was turning to McMillan as his seventh bowling option in the 37th over and the veteran probably exceeded even his own expectations by engineering a triple strike that knocked any impetus from the Proteas' sluggish performance.
Fleming and Styris, who had his own life on four when Prince could only parry a pull shot, more than compensated for the early loss of Peter Fulton and Ross Taylor.
Fulton (16) was snapped up by Andrew Hall at second slip off Makhaya Ntini while Taylor (10) was unfortunate to be adjudged leg before wicket by English umpire Mark Benson when the score was 42 in the 13th over.
After Fleming's demise Styris and McMillan (38 not out) carried the team to the brink of victory with a stand of 56 for the fourth wicket before Styris was caught by Gibbs attempting to hit spinner Robin Peterson down the ground.
Styris' fourth half century in seven innings at the tournament was compiled off 77 balls and contained four boundaries.
He boosted his aggregate to 435 (108.75) -- leaving him just 28 behind pacesetter Kallis, who scored 22 today.
Australian Matthew Hayden has the second highest tally of 436.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa
G Smith c Oram b Bond 1
AB de Villiers lbw b Franklin 0
J Kallis c Bond b Vettori 22
H Gibbs b McMillan 60
A Prince c Patel b McMillan 37
M Boucher c Fulton b McMillan 16
S Pollock not out 21
A Hall c Oram b Bond 17
R Peterson not out 8
Extras (3lb, 7w, 1nb) 11
Total: (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 193
Fall: 3 (Smith), 3 (de Villiers), 52 (Kallis), 128 (Gibbs), 143 (Prince), 149 (Boucher), 181 (Hall)
Bowling: J Franklin 7-2-16-1 (1w), S Bond 10-1-26-2 (1nb, 1w), J Oram 5-2-23-0, J Patel 10-1-36-0, D Vettori 10-0-50-1 (1w), S Styris 3-0-16-0 (4w), C McMillan 5-0-23-3.
New Zealand
P Fulton c Hall b Ntini 16
S Fleming c Boucher b Pollock 50
R Taylor lbw b Nel 10
S Styris c Gibbs b Peterson 56
C McMillan not out 38
J Oram b Nel 10
B McCullum not out 4
Extras (3lb, 8w, 1nb) 12
Total: (for 5 wkts, 48.2 overs) 196
Fall: 25 (Fulton), 42 (Taylor), 120 (Fleming), 176 (Styris), 192 (Oram)
Bowling: S Pollock 10-0-30-1 (2w), M Ntini 10-0-42-1 (1w), A Nel 9.2-0-33-2 (1nb, 1w), A Hall 7-0-27-0, J Kallis 4-0-17-0, R Peterson 7-0-39-1 (2w).
Result: New Zealand won by 5 wickets
- NZPA
