INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
South Africa claim thrilling win over AustraliaICC Men's Cricket World Cup, Old TraffordSouth Africa 325-6 (50 overs): Du Plessis 100, Van
der Dussen 95, Lyon 2-53Australia 315 all out (49.5 overs): Warner 122, Carey 85, Rabada 3-56South Africa won by 10 runsScorecard;Group
table;Schedule.England will face Australia in the World Cup semi-finals on Thursday after Aaron Finch's side were edged out by South Africa
in a thriller at Old Trafford.
Australia fell 10 runs short in the competition's final group game and, as a result, will head to Edgbaston
to face England while India, as group winners, will play New Zealand at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
"It is going to be a blockbuster," said
"It doesn't get much bigger than England v Australia in a World Cup semi-final.
"The fans are always entertaining down there (Edgbaston)
It is going to be a fantastic atmosphere."
Chasing 326 for victory, Australia fell to 95-3 and lost Usman Khawaja to a hamstring problem,
but David Warner's imperious century gave the defending champions hope of a win.
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey hit out in the final 10 overs as
he scored a fine 85 but, with 51 needed from 28 balls, he holed out, and Australia could not regain the momentum.
South Africa's total had
been set up by a fine ton from captain Faf du Plessis and 95 from Rassie van der Dussen.
Australia, meanwhile, will travel to Birmingham
with injury concerns over three key players.
Khawaja did come back out after going off early in Australia's innings but could barely run,
Marcus Stoinis had treatment on his side while batting and Mitchell Starc appeared to feel some discomfort while bowling.
World Cup group
tableRank Team P W L T NR RR Pts1 India (Q) 9 7 1 0 1 0.809 152 Australia (Q) 9 7 2 0 0 0.868 143 England (Q) 9 6 3 0 0 1.152 124 New
Zealand (Q) 9 5 3 0 1 0.175 115 Pakistan 9 5 3 0 1 -0.43 116 Sri Lanka 9 3 4 0 2 -0.919 87 South Africa 9 3 5 0 1 -0.03 78 Bangladesh 9 3 5
0 1 -0.41 79 West Indies 9 2 6 0 1 -0.225 510 Afghanistan 9 0 9 0 0 -1.322 0Australia, who also face England in an Ashes series after the
World Cup, looked downbeat as they left the field - something that will not have gone unnoticed by England.
"If England have to take a
snapshot of today, it would be at the end - Australia's batsmen consoling each other, the team as a whole looking dejected with hands in
pockets," noted BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew.
"They have got to lift themselves up now."
Australia gather on the outfield at
the end of the matchAustralia gathered on the outfield at the end of the matchPick your team of the World CupWere you watching,
England?Australia topped the group before Saturday's match but this defeat means they will now have to face England at Edgbaston - where
they have not won a match in any format of the game since 2001.
Eoin Morgan's England side had their top order blown away in the group
stages by Australia - but they will have watched today with interest.
South Africa got off to a fast start with their aggressive play in
By taking advantage of an off-colour Starc, they forced captain Finch into early changes
For the first time, Australia looked unsure of where the breakthrough would come from.
Australia used eight different bowlers in the
If England, who have such a destructive top order, can do the same and play with careful aggression, they can put Australia on the back
foot.
Warner, though, was superb.
South Africa should have run him out from the third ball of the innings but Kagiso Rabada threw to the
wrong end and from there Warner barely looked back.
Warner is not as aggressive as he was before his ban for his involvement in
'Sandpapergate' but the power is still there
England cannot afford to feed his strengths.
There are opportunities for England, though
Carey has been a standout for Australia but he is the strongest link in a brittle middle order and Australia's innings subsided once he
fell.
There are the injury worries, too, for Australia: Khawaja could not run and had to retire hurt, Stoinis had three separate physio
treatments on his side and Starc was gingerly touching his leg during his bowling spell.
South Africa end on a high
Quinton de Kock
flicks the ball onto the stumps and sees Stoinis dismissed for 22The Proteas have had a poor tournament but they continued their winning run
over Australia - they have now beaten them in eight of their past nine one-day internationals.
With opener Hashim Amla missing with injury,
Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock came out flying, and Du Plessis capitalised to hit the first century by a South African at this
tournament.
Van der Dussen manipulated the field and Australia's fearsome pace attack and, although he holed off the last ball going for
the six that would have taken him to a century, he looks a good prospect for the future.
De Kock was superb behind the stumps, affecting an
audacious run out of Stoinis by flicking the ball on to the stumps, and he took a good catch to dismiss the dangerous Glenn Maxwell.
While
their death bowling is a concern - Chris Morris was flogged for 17 runs by Starc and Khawaja in the 48th over - they ultimately held their
nerve to secure a consolation win.
