New Zealand have secured passage to the World Cup final for the first time. And the country will celebrate tonight.
The stage was Eden Park, filled to the brim with 41,279, the occasion being the tournament semi-finals, the major players being Brendon McCullum, Grant Elliott and Corey Anderson. McCullum gave New Zealand a fantastic start to a difficult Duckworth/Lewis revised target of 298 in 43 overs by smacking his way to a bullish fifty, and after a wobble it was the middle-order pair of Elliott and Anderson who steered the chase with a sensible stand of 103 in 97 balls. Victory was sealed with Elliott - born and raised in South Africa - swinging six to remain unbeaten on 84 from 74 balls with one delivery left in an epic World Cup semi-final. This was not for the faint-hearted.
The end was frenetic, excruciating. In the last 17 minutes South Africa missed the stumps, dropped a catch. Balls landed between fielders. Elliott made room and drilled Morne Morkel for four past extra cover. Next ball, JP Duminy collided with Farhaan Behardien at deep backward square leg and the ball popped out. "Let's go Vettori!" chanted the fans. They booed when Dale Steyn delayed his delivery and chatted with his captain as the support staff ran up with the medical box of marvels. Mid-pitch, Elliott and Daniel Vettori talked shop, swigged energy drinks, dried their faces. The tension had ratcheted up to new decibels.
South Africa would have backed themselves to defend all those runs after AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and David Miller lifted them either side of a nearly two-hour rain break, but McCullum's outstanding attack on their three fast bowlers and the lack of a potent fifth bowler proved their undoing. New Zealand remain unbeaten in the World Cup and will meet the winners of the second semi-final at the MCG on March 29. You better believe they are up for it.
New Zealand's start was driven entirely by McCullum, who laced eight fours and four sixes in his 26-ball stay. His targeting of Vernon Philander, in his first match in almost two weeks, was clinical: he hung back and heaved six and four off successive balls, then whipped a boundary off the pads. Steyn's third over cost 25, with McCullum crunching two sixes and three fours with electrifying energy, and Morkel was clattered over extra cover, mid-on and midwicket.
It was a change of ends and pace for Morkel that did for McCullum on 59, as he charged and miscued to Steyn at mid-on. McCullum soaked up the appreciation from the crowd he slowly walked off.
At this stage the asking rate had been reduced to 6.2 an over, meaning that New Zealand's remaining batsmen could maintain a steady tempo. But within moments Morkel prised out Kane Williamson for 6, who edged a cramped pull onto the stumps.
