India edge out South Africa to reach final
Colombo - India reached the Champions Trophy final on Wednesday with a dramatic 10-run victory over South Africa.
After India posted a total of 261 for nine from their 50 overs, South Africa were left stranded on 251 for six.
Opener Herschelle Gibbs was forced to retire injured with 116 to his name.
Jacques Kallis made 97 before being out in the final over as the South Africans fell just short.
India will play Australia or Sri Lanka in the final on Sunday.
Highlights
- Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night game.
- Opener Virender Sehwag hit 59 from 58 balls for his seventh one-day fifty and Yuvraj Singh top-scored with a 72-ball 62 to help India reach 261 for nine wickets in 50 overs.
- Key batsman Sachin Tendulkar was run out for 16, taking off for a non-existent single after pushing left-arm spinner Robin Peterson to point and failing to beat a sharp throw from top South Africa fielder Jonty Rhodes from covers.
- Fast bowler Shaun Pollock, the South African skipper, took three wickets, including two off successive balls, in the 49th over to finish with 3-43 after conceding early runs.
- South African openers Herschelle Gibbs and Smith started cautiously before Gibbs pulls Ashish Nehra and Smith steers fellow left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan for another.
- Smith is out for four to a stunning one-handed catch by Yuvraj Singh leaping in the air at backward point after cutting a widish delivery from Khan. South Africa 14-1 after three overs.
- Gibbs and Kallis shared a second-wicket partnership of 178 before Gibbs is forced to retire, suffering from cramp in the humid conditions. His 116 was his ninth one-day century.
- Jonty Rhodes and Boeta Dippenaar fall quickly, both to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, as the South Africans slip to 213 for four. Rhodes is out to another brilliant catch by Yuvraj.
- Mark Boucher and Kallis add 34 for the fifth wicket before Boucher is caught by Yuvraj at short fine-leg for 10.
- Needing 15 from the final over, Kallis top-edges a catch to wicketkeeper Rahul Dravid off Sehwag for 97 and Lance Klusener is caught by Mohammad Kaif in the deep off the final ball of the innings.
SCOREBOARD
Complete scoreboard of the day-night semi-final between India and South Africa in the Champions Trophy cricket tournament at the Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday:
India:
V. Sehwag c Klusener b Kallis 59
S. Ganguly c Dippenaar b Ntini 13
V. Laxman c Boucher b Donald 22
S. Tendulkar run out 16
R. Dravid lbw b Klusener 49
Y. Singh c Gibbs b Pollock 62
M. Kaif c Rhodes b Pollock 19
H. Singh b Donald 4
Z. Khan c Smith b Pollock 0
A. Kumble not out 2
A. Nehra not out 1
Extras (b2, lb1, nb3, w8) 14
Total (for nine wickets) 261
Fall of wickets: 1-42, 3-102, 3-108, 4-135, 5-207, 6-254, 7-254, 8-255, 9-260.
Bowling: Pollock 9-0-43-3, Ntini 5-0-37-1, Donald 8-0-41-2, Kallis 8-1-50-1, Klusener 10-0-40-1, Peterson 10-0-47-0.
Overs: 50
South Africa:
H. Gibbs retd hurt 116
G. Smith c Yuvraj b Zaheer 4
J. Kallis c Dravid b Sehwag 97
J. Rhodes c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 1
B. Dippenaar c Kumble b Harbhajan 0
M. Boucher c Yuvraj b Sehwag 10
L. Klusener c Kaif b Sehwag 14
S. Pollock not out 0
Extras (b1, lb3, w5) 9
Total (for six wickets) 251
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-194, 3-194, 4-213, 5-247, 6-251.
Bowling: Zaheer 9-2-27-1, Nehra 7.3-0-41-0, Kumble 10-0-53-0, Harbhajan 10-0-37-2, Yuvraj 3-0-17-0, Ganguly 1.3-0-15-0, Tendulkar 4-0-32-0, Sehwag 5-0-25-3.
Overs: 50
Result: India win by 10 runs
Man of the match: Virender Sehwag (Ind)
Toss: India
Umpires: David Shepherd (Eng) and Russel Tiffin (Zim)
TV umpire: Daryl Harper (Aus)
Match-referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri)
Next match (semi-final): Australia v Sri Lanka on Friday (day/night). - Sapa-AFP