Auckland: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum savoured the experience of a lifetime as his team celebrated an epic cricket World Cup semi-final victory over South Africa at Eden Park on Tuesday.
Grant Elliott gave the co-hosts a four-wicket victory when he struck Dale Steyn over long-on off the penultimate ball of the rain-reduced match.
New Zealand will now meet the winners of Thursday’s semi-final in Sydney between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
“Pretty amazing,” McCullum said at the presentation ceremony. “It was a great advertisement for cricket, everybody will remember this for the rest of their lives.
“It’s the greatest time of our lives. We have enjoyed the experience, the crowds that have turned up, the brand of cricket we have tried to play. We hope the crowds are all dreaming the way we are.
“We don’t mind who we face in the final, they are both quality sides but we know if we play the way we want to we are a good chance. I’m really proud to represent New Zealand.”
New Zealand faced a revised target of 298 under the Duckworth/Lewis method after South Africa made 281 for five in 43 overs, which included a near two-hour rain stoppage.
Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum made a typically quickfire 59 off 26 balls at the head of the innings.
Then came a valuable 103-run partnership between Elliott and Corey Anderson and New Zealand appeared to have the game in hand with six overs to go.
But Morne Morkel regained the initiative for South Africa by taking a wicket and conceding only one run in the 38th over and by the start of the 43rd, and final, over New Zealand required 12 to win.
They started with a bye, a single, a four to Daniel Vettori, another bye and then Johannesburg-born Elliott, who turned 36 last weekend, smacked Steyn high into the stands as New Zealand, after losing all six of their previous World Cup semi-finals, completed a thrilling win.
South Africa, struggling to throw off their unwanted “choker” tag, have now failed to win all four World Cup semi-finals they have contested.
As McCullum flung his bat at the start of New Zealand’s run chase, South Africa captain AB de Villiers was forced to take three of his frontline bowlers out of the attack.
Vernon Philander, replacing Kyle Abbott in the side, gave up 14 runs to McCullum with his first over and was immediately replaced by Morkel.
Morkel also lasted one over that cost 14 runs but came back from the other end after Steyn was spelled when McCullum hit two sixes and three fours off his third over.
The return of fast bowler Morkel paid immediate dividends. He undid McCullum, who plopped a simple catch into the hands of Steyn at mid-on and in his next over he bowled Kane Williamson.
After nine overs, New Zealand were 81 for two.
Martin Guptill, looking to back up his World Cup record 237 not out against the West Indies in last weekend’s quarter-final, looked in fine touch making 34 before being run out in a mid-pitch mix-up with Ross Taylor.
Taylor did not last much longer before he was caught behind and New Zealand were 149 for four when Elliott and Anderson set up camp before the latter was out for 58.
De Villiers had set South Africa up for a big finish with heavy hitters in hand only to be denied seven overs when rain swept in when they were 216 for three in the 38th over.
He produced a rapid 65 not out and, following the rain break, David Miller’s boundary-laden 49 from 18 deliveries got South Africa up to 281 for five
De Villiers was in command in the lead up to the near two-hour rain disruption cracking 60 off 38 balls, but when the weather cleared and play resumed he could only stand and watch as Miller took charge.
