KOLKATA: So, India play Australia in the final on Sunday. The second ODI World Cup semifinal script, however, had its moments. The overcast evening sky brought drizzle, breeze, and swing in the middle. Eden Gardens was draped in its finery as South Africa took the first step, electing to bat under overcast conditions against pace-laden Australia.
Four wickets in the first powerplay was enough to push South Africa on the backfoot. But the ball was not the only thing that swung; even the fortunes of both the teams. If the ball swung in the first hour, it spun in the later hours. Chasing 213, the contest turned out to be gripping, like Tabraiz Shamsi’s leg-breaks, as Aussies walked across the finish line with just three wickets to spare in front of 45,000 strong spectators.
The loss, like before, will hurt Temba Bavuma and Co for a long time. However, nothing worked for them as they lost wickets in heaps with only David Miller (101 off 116) and Heinrich Klaasen (47 off 48) managing to play out Aussie quicks and spinners. In the end, the target of 213, coincidentally the same total as set by Australia in the 1999 semifinal, did not prove enough as Australia stormed into their eighth final, where formidable India await in Ahmedabad.