Elliott's six seals history-making classic for Kiwis (The Independent)

The Cricket World Cup has the match it deserves. A coruscating semi-final ended in a dramatic victory for New Zealand, the joint hosts, over South Africa, the marginal favourites. It acted throughout as a commercial for the merits of attacking cricket, played without fear or favour.
Somehow, it was fitting that the match should be decided with a six down the ground from the penultimate ball, swung there by Grant Elliott, an unassuming man born and educated in South Africa who has made New Zealand his home. Until that moment, in the tradition of the finest one-day cricket, the match could have gone either way.
For its entirety, Eden Park was a cauldron of noise so that it sounded like Eden Gardens in Kolkata on one of its more raucous days. The passion and belief of the spectators in the men representing them may ultimately have been a deciding factor.
If Elliott said it once, he reiterated it a dozen times and in his quietly spoken fashion clearly meant it. “For the fans and four million people in New Zealand, that win is for them. The support has been overwhelming. There has been so much talk about us making the semi-finals and never going on, it meant a lot to a lot of people.”
Elliott, a late and contentious inclusion in the squad after not appearing for a year, admitted that he had left it all a little late. “It was stressful towards the end,” he said. “This game is amazing.”
A B de Villiers, the captain of South Africa, had come to be convinced that this was his country’s time. He was almost inconsolable afterwards. Once more he had demonstrated why he is the world’s most feared one-day batsman by making 65 from 45 balls, and even then making it seem as if he was barely at a canter.
“It’s difficult to say what kind of emotions I’m feeling, it’s obviously painful,” he said. “There are lots of people back home supporting us and it hurts to think of all of them, you know, and we so badly wanted to take that trophy back home, but I guess life moves on.”
At that moment the fact that he had been part of one of the greatest World Cup matches did not seem to matter. South Africa have been here too many times before.
“It doesn’t make me feel better at all, not at all, no,” he said. “We play this game to win games of cricket, to take glory home and make a difference in the nation, and we didn’t do that. We didn’t achieve that, and it hurts quite a bit. Gutted. We had our chances and we didn’t take them.”
In time he will come to feel a little differently but it may take plenty of it. At the interval, after South Africa had made 281 for 5 in an innings curtailed by rain, it was difficult to envisage them losing. Except that they have lost so many tight ones before. Except that New Zealand would continue to chase down the target whatever happened.
But the target under the regulations was raised to 298 from 43 overs. That was forbidding, but in a way, the pursuers were probably relieved. Had South Africa been permitted their allotted 50 overs, with De Villiers in his pomp and chances being spurned to dismiss him, the target might truly have been out of sight.
Error combined with exhilaration. Both sides declined to give up, made spectacular interventions but both betrayed their anxiety. There were too many such moments for any one of them to have been conclusively match-turning but the last of them, on the final ball of the 42nd over when two South African fielders collided on the long leg boundary while trying to take a catch, reprieved Elliott.
Five balls later he was the hero of his adopted country when he hit his 73rd ball for his third six to finish on 84 not out. That the bowler was Dale Steyn, the most fearsome speed merchant in the world, made it the less likely.
Elliott and New Zealand took it uncomfortably deep. They had a blistering start to their chase thanks to Brendon McCullum, who has refused to consider taking a step backwards since this tournament started, let alone taken one. He simply knew that such a daunting task needed easing quickly.
McCullum was as spectacular as De Villiers had been earlier, perhaps more so because he was doing this against the new ball. Had he gone on for five overs more it might have turned the formidable into the routine but he drilled his 26th ball to mid-on after slamming – it is difficult to use a less excitable description – 59, of which 56 were in boundaries.
But his departure forced New Zealand into a more measured approach. Perhaps before they knew it they were 149 for 4 in the 22nd over. It needed Elliott and Corey Anderson to stay calm while keeping the board urgently ticking over.
They did just enough in that regard. Both survived scares. But New Zealand too had made mistakes in the field before and after Trent Boult’s early incursions. It was humanity interrupting all that sleek preparation and training.
The Kiwis came to the last five needing 46, with Anderson just gone for 58. There were not enough boundaries but they kept in touch. From the final over 12 were needed. Elliott and Daniel Vettori twice ran byes to the wicketkeeper. In between Steyn needed treatment which seemed to last for ever and Vettori calmly glided four through point.
Five were needed from two. Steyn, after consultation, bowled it on a length. Elliott saw it and went for it. New Zealand were in their first final. Whatever happens on Sunday it was perhaps the most significant stroke in the country’s cricket history.
AUCKLAND SCOREBOARD
World Cup semi-final: Eden Park (one day): New Zealand beat South Africa by four wickets (D/L Method)
South Africa won toss
SOUTH AFRICA
H M Amla b Boult 10
14 balls 0 sixes 2 fours
†Q de Kock c Southee b Boult 14
17 balls 0 sixes 2 fours
F du Plessis c Ronchi b Anderson 82
107 balls 1 sixes 7 fours
R R Rossouw c Guptill b Anderson 39
53 balls 1 sixes 2 fours
*A B de Villiers not out 65
45 balls 1 sixes 8 fours
D A Miller c Ronchi b Anderson 49
18 balls 3 sixes 6 fours
J P Duminy not out 8
4 balls 0 sixes 1 fours
Extras (b1 w13) 14
Total (for 5, 43 overs) 281
Fall: 1-21, 2-31, 3-114, 4-217, 5-272.
Did not bat: V D Philander, D W Steyn, M Morkel, Imran Tahir.
Bowling: T G Southee 9-1-55-0, T A Boult 9-0-53-2, M J Henry 8-2-40-0, D L Vettori 9-0-46-0, K S Williamson 1-0-5-0, G D Elliott 1-0-9-0, C J Anderson 6-0-72-3.
NEW ZEALAND
M J Guptill run out 34
38 balls 1 sixes 3 fours
*B B McCullum c Steyn b Morkel 59
26 balls 4 sixes 8 fours
K S Williamson b Morkel 6
11 balls 0 sixes 1 fours
L R P L Taylor c de Kock b Duminy 30
39 balls 0 sixes 4 fours
G D Elliott not out 84
73 balls 3 sixes 7 fours
C J Anderson c du Plessis b Morkel 58
57 balls 2 sixes 6 fours
†L Ronchi c Rossouw b Steyn 8
7 balls 0 sixes 1 fours
D L Vettori not out 7
6 balls 0 sixes 1 fours
Extras (b6 lb2 w5) 13
Total (for 6, 42.5 overs) 299
Fall 1-71, 2-81, 3-128, 4-149, 5-252, 6-269.
Did not bat M J Henry, T G Southee, T A Boult.
Bowling D W Steyn 8.5-0-76-1, V D Philander 8-0-52-0, M Morkel 9-0-59-3, Imran Tahir 9-1-40-0, J P Duminy 5-0-43-1, A B de Villiers 3-0-21-0.
Umpires I J Gould (Eng) and R J Tucker (Aus).

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