NZ overpower SA to make Champions Trophy final

ICC Champions Trophy semi-final, Lahore

New Zealand 362-6 (50 overs): Ravindra 108 (101), Williamson 102 (94); Ngidi 3-72

South Africa 312-9 (50 overs): Miller 100* (67), Van der Dussen 69 (66); Santner 3-43

New Zealand won by 50 runs

Scorecard

New Zealand powered their mode into the Champions Trophy last with a thumping 50-run triumph implicit South Africa aft centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson.

The Black Caps opted to bat archetypal successful Lahore and posted a tournament-record 362-6 successful a superbly-paced one-day innings.

It was built connected a 164-run concern for the 2nd wicket betwixt Ravindra and Williamson, who registered their 5th and 15th ODI hundreds respectively.

Despite some falling soon aft reaching 3 figures, New Zealand kept going and plundered 110 runs from the last 10 overs acknowledgment to the big-hitting of Daryl Mitchell, who made 49 from 37 balls, and Glenn Phillips, who finished unbeaten connected 49 from 27.

Facing a daunting total, albeit connected transportation that could hardly person been friendlier to the batters, South Africa attempted to reflector the Kiwis' approach.

The pursuit started well, with Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen putting connected 105 for the 2nd wicket.

However, dissimilar Ravindra and Williamson, they were incapable to footwear on, with New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner dismissing them some - and the unsafe Heinrich Klaasen - successful a superb spell during the mediate overs.

With the required run-rate climbing quickly, South Africa had to support attacking but the wickets kept tumbling and, contempt David Miller bringing up a 67-ball period from the past shot of the match, they finished good abbreviated connected 312-9.

New Zealand volition present question to Dubai to look India successful Sunday's final, hoping to triumph the trophy for a 2nd time, 25 years connected since they won their lone ICC white-ball title.

New Zealand's attack to a 50-over innings is astir arsenic accepted arsenic it gets.

Build a basal implicit the archetypal 35 oregon 40 overs, leaving capable wickets successful manus to motorboat an almighty battle successful the second portion of the innings.

A elemental strategy that, if executed well, tin beryllium hard to stop. In Lahore, New Zealand did truthful adjacent capable perfectly.

Of course, it requires players with some the method and the temperament to spell done the gears, knowing erstwhile the clip is close to accelerate and which bowlers to target.

It is simply a relation Williamson has excelled successful for implicit a decennary and, portion the 34-year-old is showing nary signs of slowing down, successful Ravindra, New Zealand look to person a earthy successor.

Throughout the 26 overs the brace were unneurotic astatine the crease, New Zealand dictated proceedings.

When they wanted to tick implicit softly with ones and twos, they did truthful portion remaining acceptable to enactment distant the atrocious ball, past acknowledging the prime aboveground they upped the ante and seamlessly turned 5 oregon six-an-over into sevens and eights.

Elegant left-hander Ravindra was successful power passim his innings and portion helium was the much assertive successful his basal with Williamson, helium was reasonably accordant successful his scoring complaint – his archetypal 50 coming up successful 47 balls, the 2nd successful 46.

Ravindra's swift scoring meant the Black Caps could spend for Williamson to marque a comparatively dilatory start, assured helium would beryllium capable to drawback up.

It took South Africa giving him a beingness connected 56 to bash truthful - Klaasen enactment down a drawback down the stumps, diving to his close - and Williamson made them pay.

Having reached his half-century from 61 balls, helium needed conscionable 30 much to get to his ton arsenic helium pushed connected aft Ravindra's dismissal, combining his accustomed classical strokes with immoderate imaginative scoops and ramps.

By the clip Williamson departed successful the 40th over, New Zealand were acceptable to launch. Given specified a coagulated foundation, the powerfulness hitters did not disappoint.

If New Zealand highlighted the positives of gathering an innings towards a large finish, South Africa's showed that getting it close - particularly successful a pursuit - is acold easier said than done.

For much than 20 overs of the chase, each signs pointed towards a thrilling decorativeness arsenic the Proteas stayed close alongside wherever New Zealand had been astatine the aforesaid stage.

However, conscionable erstwhile the clip came to commencement expanding the run-rate, Bavuma and Van der Dussen recovered themselves up against Santner.

The New Zealand skipper was arsenic disciplined arsenic ever with his left-arm spin, uncovering a probing enactment and magnitude and subtly varying his pace.

Bavuma was undone by a flighted transportation that dipped precocious and turned capable to find a starring borderline that looped to backward point, portion Van der Dussen was bowled by a flatter ball, darted successful astatine limb stump that straightened to deed mediate and leg.

Santner had Klaasen caught astatine long-on successful his adjacent implicit and from crippled connected successful the 23rd over, it was crippled implicit successful the 29th.

Spin continued to bash the instrumentality for the Black Caps, with Ravindra getting Aiden Markram caught and bowled earlier Phillips and Michael Bracewell besides picked up wickets with their off-spin.

Miller was awesome successful bludgeoning his mode to 3 figures but by the clip helium got going, the crippled was lost.

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner: "The level we were capable to acceptable was vital. We were blessed with 360 but with the powerfulness that South Africa have, we knew it would beryllium a challenge.

"What we talk astir arsenic a radical is astir applying pressure, support being assertive with the shot and trying to instrumentality wickets. In a pursuit similar that, if you don't get them out, they are going to drawback up."

Player of the match, New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra: "It's ever a large feeling to lend to the team. To get an emphatic triumph connected the semi-final signifier similar this, I couldn't beryllium happier."

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma: "From a batting constituent of view, we didn't get those partnerships. There were 1 oregon 2 determination but we needed either myself oregon Rassie van der Dussen to emulate their apical four."