Ravindra and Williamson set up title bout with India
Both scored centuries to power New Zealand to the highest total in Champions Trophy history, before Santner led an immaculate defence
Both scored centuries to power New Zealand to the highest total in Champions Trophy history, before Santner led an immaculate defence
Scorer: @Thilak_Rama | Commentator: Ekanth and Vish Ehantharajah
And so, it will be India and New Zealand, in Dubai, on Sunday, for the final. Appreciate your company here tonight. On behalf of Vithushan Ehantharajah and me, Ekanth, on comms, and Thilak Rama and Venkat Raghav on scoring, it's goodbye for now.
Mitchell Santner, NZ captain: It's a cool feeling to make the final. We were challenged by a good side. We've had a go against India, look forward to do it again. The platform we were able to set with Rachin and Kane, and set up the death phase earlier, was great. The finishers did their job. The key for the bowlers to keep chipping away with wickets. It was good personally. What we speak about as a group is apply pressure, but still take wickets. It was pleasing to get three pretty good scalps personally. We got four allrounders who bowl spin, that gives depth. GP's two wickets and Rachin's five overs was great. We weren't sure if Henry, who is sore but fine, would bowl. Knew if they hit a hard length, it would spin or seam. Williamson keeps doing it. That partnership was massive, might've been frustrated a touch at times, but they flipped the switch earlier and got us to 360. Looking back, 320 might not have been enough. Being there in Dubai and putting India under pressure gave us confidence. You take in what things work and what doesn't. Not winning the toss might be nice.
Temba Bavuma, SA captain: NZ were above par. I think as well as they batted, we backed ourselves to chase 350 with the wicket getting better. We had one or two good partnerships but not enough. One of me or VDD to go big, which didn't happen. NZ really put us under pressure from the get go. They pierced the off side regularly and kept hitting boundaries in the middle overs, was tough to contain them for having had wickets in hand at the death and putting us under pressure. At 125 for 1, me and Rassie batting, we needed to bat till the 35th. But we weren't able to set up the base for the middle order. Soft dismissal for me, better ball to get Rassie. Left too much to do for those coming in. From a batting pov, being more decisive is what's on my mind. Have to be ruthless and go for the game. (breaks into a smile)
Handshakes at the ground among the groundstaff members. Since Dubai will host the final, the tournament has ended in the host country.
Rachin Ravindra, POTM: Great feeling to contribute to an emphatic win in a semi-final. I didn't start as well as I wanted, SA bowled well, but once we got going it was nice build partnerships with Kane and Young. It was nice to go with the ebbs and flows of one-day cricket. We were thinking around 300 as cutters were holding, and SA were getting bounce, but then the game started accelerating nicely, and Glenn and Mitchell finished great. Thing with tournament cricket is what's next and then what. Important to soak in the win today, celebrate the team together and get around each other. Once we get to Dubai we'll switch back on.
For South Africa, things had to go perfectly in the chase, but Rickelton went early. Bavuma started slow and Rassie took time to settle in. They couldn't maximise the powerplay. They did accelerate but fell for fifties. One of them, if not both, had to go longer. That was not to be. Markram's soft dismissal and, more importantly, Klaasen falling cheaply was significant. Miller batted through but the lower-middle-order bats went cheaply, and with the asking rate soaring into the stratosphere, SA got nowhere close. Miller did finish with a century but that was good for the feels as the team bowed out of the tournament.
9:54pm: New Zealand have done it again. They make another ICC final. After Ravindra and Williamson set the game up with the bat, the bowlers took over on what was a belter of a pitch. Santner was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 43. Him getting Klaasen was arguably the moment that sealed the game. But before that, he got Bavuma for 56 and van der Dussen with arguably the ball of the match. One that angled in before turning away to beat the flick, from around the wicket no less. Bracewell held his end nicely. He was economical. Glenn Phillips chipped in with a couple of wickets. Matt Henry took an early wicket and was off the field for a while, but he returned too. Their death bowling wasn't great but the game was effectively done by then.
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Both scored centuries to power New Zealand to the highest total in Champions Trophy history, before Santner led an immaculate defence