Quarter-Finals: ICC World Cup 2011

South Africa Vs New Zealand



Vs




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Dhaka: South Africa's reputation as cricket's perennial chokers returned to haunt them as New Zealand pulled off a dramatic 49-run win on Friday to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals.
The Black Caps, restricted to 221-8 after taking first strike, bundled out South Africa for 172 in an exciting finish in front of 23,000 fans at the Shere Bangla Stadium.


New Zealand won

Yet another World Cup ends in a heart-break for the South Africans. One has to feel really sorry for them. Wonder what their supporters and fans will be feeling like. Anyway on that note, time for me, Srivathsa to sign off on behalf of my colleagues, Sid V, Ajith and Pradeep. Sleep tight and don't forget to read the beautiful summary in three parts right above the last wicket description. It's a cracker of a summary! Bye!
Presentation:
Oram: I was thinking that I've got to go hard at this, or else I might not get near it. Thankfully I was tall enough and got there (referring to the Kallis catch). I suppose so, but I don't want to take credit for the win, they had a good partnership going, obviously Kallis an outstanding player - if I didn't take the catch it was 4 and they would've had the momentum. If it changes the game, I will take that. To be injury free, has been great, it is very tough to play consistently with all those injuries. That's why my cricket has gotten better. We got to win this from now, I guess, we have beaten SA, who beat India and are a damn good side. If we don't take belief from this, then there is no point in playing. We have got a talented, but inconsistent side, but I've never been more prouder than today be in the dressing room and wear a Silver Fern on. This will be right up there in the top 3, the win against SA at the Wanderers in 03 springs to mind. To be written off before the game and to come here and perform, when we don't have a great record is an unbelievable feeling.
Jacob Oram is the Man of the Match for his magnificent all-round performance.
Vettori: It was a team-effort, full credit to the boys. Guptill was excellent in the field and we did superbly in the field. We wanted 250, it was probably the best time to bat. We s****ped through to 220. The guys said that the wicket will get worse to bat on and we got the wickets of Kallis and AB, that's when we believed that we could win. Amazing piece of work from Guptill to get AB out and that's when we thought it could be our game. Big Jake has proved his worth in every game that he has played and today was another day. 4 wickets and a great catch as well, we can't ask for more from him. Great to see him being injury free as well. He is such a vital part of our side. We will be glued to the televisions tomorrow to watch the other semis. We have the reputation that we can beat any side on a given day, but inconsistency has thwarted us. We are known to be perennial semi-finalists and hopefully we will go one step further (and then cheekily corrects to two steps further.)
Smith: It's very difficult to explain how we are feeling right now. There are no words to describe our feelings. We have to take it on the chin and move on. We have let ourselves down and all credit to the Kiwis and we wish them all the best from here on. 210-220 was a very reasonable score to chase on this. Credit to Ryder and Taylor for batting well. We lost key wickets and that set us back. Hopefully in the years to come, the teams that come from SA will change the track record of not having won a knock-out game. I can't unravel the reason behind that track-record. It's time to move forward. The people back home in SA are very disappointed and no words can console them.
The look on Smith's face says it all. He is walking around with a shocked expression on his face. As are the other Proteas' team members. They will be feeling so low and down at the moment. The Kiwi team are ecstatic and they are hugging, embracing and jumping around. The whole Kiwi team do a lap of honor, thanking the crowd for their support.
Nathan McCullum: It is unbelievable, we tried to score 220-230. We should have scored more but the most important part was the gut and determination shown by Jesse and Ross in the middle overs. The way the boys bowled and fielded was outstanding. We need to field well to win games like these, the standard set in the field by Guptill and others was totally outstanding. The crowd was fantastic, they cheered good cricket and backed us.
A couple of things to be noted: This in all probability is Kallis' last World Cup game. Yesterday it was Ponting, today it is Kallis - who does not have a World Cup winning medal - which sadly will remain a dream. Wonder what is running through Allan Donald's mind? - the Black Caps bowling coach - who is a South African and was the last man out in that disastrous semi-final in 1999. On the one hand, he will be happy that his side are through to the semis, while as a South African he will be feeling sorry for some of his past mates.
Credit to Dan and Big Jake: Daniel Vettori's captaincy must be lauded for he kept on attacking right through, even when Kallis and Smith were going strong. Once Kallis got out, he tightened the screws further and that really put tremendous pressure on the South Africans. Dan kept 5-6 men in the ring, saved the singles and rotated the bowlers well. The Kiwis were aggressive with their body language and had a few verbals with Faf. On the other hand, Big Jake proved his value to this side by putting in a wonderful all-round show. He has borne a lot of criticism from the media back home for his inability to keep himself fit. But as Simon Doull said on air today, Oram - who had contemplated retiring after this tournament - is now having second thoughts and feels much fitter and stronger about his body.
M Morkel departs on 3 » See who is leading the wickets tally
The Big Jinx: Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje, Hansie Cronje, Shaun Pollock and now Graeme Smith. The jinx continues. One can't fathom how the South Africans conspire to defeat themselves everytime in a knock-out game in the World Cup. From 108/2 to 172 all-out - 8/64 of the most unbelievable madness from the South Africans handed the Kiwis the game. Amla's freaky wicket started off things, but South Africa were well in control of the match, till Big Jake with those huge hands took out Kallis with a fabulous catch - reminiscent of Kapil's match-winning catch to dismiss Sir Viv Richards, that set India on the way to win the World Cup. From then on, South Africa self-destructed like they only can and the Kiwis reached their 6th semi-final in 10 World Cups. South Africa still haven't won a knock-out game in a World Cup and this is the 5th time since 1992 that has happened.
43.2	Wood**** to Morne Morkel, out Caught by (sub)How!! SA are eliminated. What a sad way to end though. Yet another World Cup and they stick to their reputation - this one is the mother of all chokes. Morne Morkel comes down the track and had no other option but to go for the big hit. He went for it and holed out to How. It was well tossed up and Morne Morkel could not get the power to clear the man. End of Smith as ODI skipper of SA too - he has said that he will resign from his captaincy duties after the WC. Morne Morkel c (sub)How b Wood**** 3(17)
Wood**** to Morne Morkel, THATS OUT!! Caught!!