Privilege to see these Black Caps in action

Cricket's a funny old game. One minute it will have you sky high but just as quickly have you emotionally derailed.

But then, along come the Black Caps, winning a cliff-hanger at Eden Park and finding themselves in the final of cricket's World Cup. And all is well with the world.

This team has racked up a remarkable record in this tournament.

Unbeaten, posting outstanding individual performances with bat and ball and showing exceptional talent in the field - it's not a team that coat-tails on one or two individuals so if one star fails the rest capitulate. In every game we have seen players step up when the chips were down.

It's this depth of talent that makes this side special. McCullum, Williamson, Guptill, Anderson, Elliott, Southee, Boult, Vettori and the rest can do the business like no other Kiwi XI before, not in one-day competition at least.

It's a side that doesn't show signs of panic. It's had the odd speed wobble but managed to get to the right side of the ledger when it mattered. And Tuesday night's win was the sum of those parts.

But spare a thought for South Africa. They've been so close before only to stumble - and that winning six hit by an ex-pat must have been galling.

It could be argued that the weather played a part in the result, with the game shortened to 43 overs. But cricket's a game of swings and roundabouts, with outcomes sometimes decided by the unfathomable - and brutal - calculations of the Duckworth Lewis system.

This was about a team that has refused to accept defeat and played as if always destined to be in Sunday's final.

A glittering prize sits just one more game away. Regardless of that outcome, this has been a remarkable journey of an endless summer. We have been privileged to witness it.