South Africa storms into World Cup Cricket semi-final

Quarter Final 1 South Africa V Sri Lanka played at SCG

Sri Lanka 133 all out 37.2 overs, Kumar Sangakkara 45 from 96 balls, Lahiru Thirimanne 41, Imran Tahir 26-4, JP Duminy 29-3,

South Africa 134-1 from 18 overs, Quinton de Kock 78 not out, Lasith Malinga 43-1.

South Africa win by 9 wickets

The South Africans, who have never won a knockout game in the World Cup in six attempts, thrashed Sri Lanka by nine wickets with 32 overs to spare.

South Africa now head for Auckland for a semi-final against New Zealand or West Indies;

Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to bat first and Sri Lankan game collapsed soon afterwards.  They experimented with Kusal Perera for the first time

in the tournament which failed. Perera kept swishing at thin air until he was caught behind off Kyle Abbott for three; then Tillakaratne Dilshan was caught at

second slip off Dale Steyn for a duck. Thereafter Sangakkara 45, with four consecutive centuries under his belt, was extra cautious and produced only one run

after 22 deliveries. Apart from a courageous effort from Lahiru Thirimanne nobody did.  The fast bowler, Dushmantha Chameera, had played only two ODIs

before and Tharindu Kaushal, a doosra specialist mystery bowler became only the second man to make his debut in a sudden-death World Cup match.

The only other one, by the way, was Wayne Larkins in 1979.

South Africa’s spinners who took the majority of the wickets and did the damage. The Sri Lankans who exponents in negotiating spin succumbed to simple spin attack.

Imran Tahir, took four wickets, and surprisingly, JP Duminy took three from consecutive balls, a hat-trick which was separated by an over from Tahir. “I think I was

probably the only one in the team that knew I had taken a hat-trick,” said Duminy.

Tahir, who was man of the match, took important wickets. He snaffled a return catch to dispose of Thirimanne and then Jayawardene. Duminy had a hesitant Mathews

caught at mid-wicket as Sangakkara was stranded. Finally he began to improvise, crunching two of the three boundaries he hit in 96 balls before being caught at third

man off Morkel for 45.  Hashim Amla was also caught at third man, an indication that there was pace in this pitch. Quinton de Kock, hit 78 from 57 balls.