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New Zealand’s Grant Elliot reacts after hitting a shot for six runs to win their Cricket World Cup semi-final match against South Africa in Auckland, 24 March – Reuters
AUCKLAND (Reuters): New Zealand’s Grant Elliott struck the premier South Africa strike bowler Dale Steyn for six on Tuesday to give the World Cup co-hosts an epic four-wicket victory with a ball to spare in their semi-final at Eden Park.
Twelve runs were required off the final over of the rain-reduced match after New Zealand had been set a daunting 298 to score off 43 overs.
Veteran Daniel Vettori squeezed a four past third man, the pair ran a bye and Elliott hit the winning six over long-on to secure New Zealand’s first semi-final victory in seven attempts.
They will now meet the winners of Thursday’s second semi-final between Australia and India in Sydney at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Elliott was named the man-of-the-match after his masterly 84 not out from 73 deliveries.
Captain Brendon McCullum set the tone at the start of the New Zealand innings with a brutal 59 from 26 balls, including four sixes.
Elliott and Corey Anderson then combined in a fifth wicket partnership of 103 after Martin Guptill (34) had been needlessly run out and Ross Taylor (30) was caught behind.
Anderson could have been run out for 33 when he was stranded hopelessly down the pitch at the bowler’s end. But South Africa captain AB de Villiers removed the bails without collecting the ball to give him a reprieve.
The tension began to tell in the South African fielding when Elliott was dropped in the outfield after JP Duminy collided with Farhaan Behardien who had lined up the catch.
Morne Morkel bowled a potentially telling over when Anderson skied the ball to Faf du Plessis and was out for 58. Luke Ronchi followed for eight but Elliott and Vettori saw their team home to a rapturous reception from the sellout crowd of 41,269.
Elliott’s final shot was the second six by a New Zealander to win a match in the tournament after Kane Williamson’s identical strike against Australia at the same venue in the group stage.
De Villiers (65 not out) and Faf du Plessis (82) laid the foundations of South Africa’s impressive 281 for five off 43 overs with a fourth wicket partnership of 103 from 73 balls.
David Miller blasted 49 off 18 balls and New Zealand did not help their cause by dropping three catches, none of them easy but all the sort of chances they had been taking in their unbeaten run through the tournament.
South African openers Hashim Amla (10) and Quinton de Kock (14) fell cheaply to Trent Boult who broke Geoff Allott’s New Zealand record of 20 wickets set at the 1999 World Cup.
Rilee Rossouw and du Plessis restored South Africa’s fortunes with a third wicket partnership of 83.
When McCullum introduced Anderson, the first ball to Rossouw was a wide and the second flew off the shoulder off the bat to backward point where Guptill leaped to his right to hold the catch.
Du Plessis reached his half-century from 85 balls and celebrated by lofting Matt Henry straight back over his
That ball was going over ropes, no matter what: ElliottAUCKLAND (Reuters): Grant Elliott had not premeditated the shot that propelled New Zealand into their first cricket World Cup final on Tuesday, but he was sure the ball was going over the boundary no matter what. Dale Steyn bowled a full length delivery and Elliott blasted a six over long-on to finish on 84 not out as New Zealand chased down their Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 298 from 43 overs with four wickets and a ball to spare. “I was looking to hit that ball for six or four,” Elliott told reporters after New Zealand finished on 299 for six. “I was just going to line it up and wherever it was, it was going over the boundary.” The situation of the match had obviously played a massive part in Elliott’s decision, but he had also been told by fellow 36-year-old Daniel Vettori that it was down to him to ‘bring it home’. Elliott was the more established of the pair but Vettori had also just urged every sinew of his body to sprint to the non-striker’s end after gambling on wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock missing the throw at the stumps. “Dan said we weren’t going to run to the keeper again so I knew that I had two balls to take us home,” Elliott said. He had also assessed that four runs would be enough to send New Zealand into the final, having secured the better record in the pool phase, which would have come into effect if the scores were tied. The ball, however, sailed deep into the bottom tier of the southern stand at Eden Park sparking a massive roar from the 41,000-plus crowd. “I know it means a lot to the team but you could see the emotion in the stands,” he said. “It means a lot to a lot of people.” Johannesburg-born Elliott was considered a surprise selection to the World Cup squad after having not played for the national side for more than 14 months and that decision is paying off for coach Mike Hesson and chief selector Bruce Edgar. Elliott’s composure was none more evident as he and Corey Anderson resurrected New Zealand’s run chase from 149 for four to get to 252 for five with five overs remaining. “I really did feel the pressure. It was stressful towards the end,” Elliott said. “It was unfortunate that we left it, we needed 11 off the last over. It would have been nice to get it with an over to go but credit to South Africa, they’re a world class team and they played a very good game.” |
