DAVID SHAPSHAK & Reuters, Birmingham | Thursday 7.50pm.
NEEDING just one run to advance to the World Cup final, South Africa were knocked out when confusion between the last two batsmen saw Allan Donald being run out. Lance Klusener had knocked up two fours of the first two balls of the final over to level the scores.
But with no wickets remaining, the nail-biting finish went down to the wire. Although they were tied, Australia finished higher in the Super Six and therefore go through to the final against Pakistan on Sunday.
A ball before the run out, Donald was nearly run-out, but an Australian fielding error saw the ball miss the stumps.
“It was the best game of cricket I’ve ever played. You’ve got to feel sorry for South Africa. We just held out in the end, we really dug deep,” Australian captain Steve Waugh said afterwards.
Shane Warne — who bowled superbly with four for 29 including four maiden overs, taking three of his wickets in two overs — was named man of the match.
South Africa needed nine off the last over to reach the final.
With Klusener apparently set to take his side into the final after hitting eight off three balls, Allan Donald was run out as Klusener went for the winning run and the number 11 failed to react.
Damien Fleming ran Donald out and Australia went through to the final.
“Cruel game,” was South African captain Hansie Cronje’s immediate reaction. “Unfortunately things did not go our way at the end. It’s as close as you can get I suppose.”
Waugh praised Warne: “It was a great spell. He was pumped up for this game and he got us through.”
Warne called the victory unbelievable. “We just got out of jail at the end. I don’t know how we did it. It was just a great game of cricket.”
IN the Australian innings, South African pace duo Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald took nine wickets between them as Australia were bowled out for 213 in 49.2 overs in Thursday’s World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston.
Pollock is the first South African to take five wickets in a World Cup match, finishing with five for 36. Donald took four for 32.