7th over: New Zealand 91-0 (Seifert 47, Allen 44) The Powerplay is over; the power play is not.Seifert makes room to belabour Keshav Maharaj’s third ball through extra cover for four.A relatively quiet over, yet New Zealand still scored seven from it.They need 79 from 78 balls and should cruise to victory.6th over: New Zealand 84-0 (Seifert 41, Allen 43) Finn Allen completes an awesome Powerplay by manhandling Corbin Bosch’s first over for 22.

He carved the first ball over backward point for six, a shot of outrageous brilliance, then hit four successive fours: a pull through wide mid-on, an edge over short third, a thump down the ground and another edge.South Africa look utterly shell-shocked.They are facing their eighth defeat in nine World Cup semi-finals.If you include the Champions Trophy it’s 13 defeats in 15 semis.Plenty will say they’ve choked but I’m not sure that’s the case.

If nothing else, the game hasn’t been close enough.5th over: New Zealand 62-0 (Seifert 41, Allen 21) South Africa started well with the ball and were unfortunate not to take at least one early wicket.But they look like they are starting to feel sorry for themselves, whether because of those near misses or the impact of losing the toss.Seifert picks a slower ball from Rabada and larrups it over long-on for six, a spectacular shot that he follows with a pull for four.New Zealand, who reached World Cup finals in 2015, 2019 and 2021, look like they are hurtling towards another.

They need 108 from 90 balls,4th over: New Zealand 48-0 (Seifert 28, Allen 20) Lungi Ngidi, the man with a million slower balls, comes into the attack,But the onslaught continues when Allen runs outside off stump to scoop six more,He has 20 from 8 balls, Seifert 28 from 16, and New Zealand are in complete control,3rd over: New Zealand 37-0 (Seifert 24, Allen 13) There’s nothing lucky about Allen’s next shot, a thumping straight six off Jansen.

South Africa think they have their first wicket when Seifert smears across the line – Aiden Markram reviews for caught behind, thinking/hoping there was a bottom edge,There wasn’t,Seifert scoops the next ball for six, then waves a hold-the-pose drive down the ground for four,Eighteen from the over,Despite some good bowling, South Africa are already under serious pressure.

2nd over: New Zealand 19-0 (Seifert 13, Allen 6) Another let-off for Seifert, who hooks Kagiso Rabada’s second ball miles in the air.De Kock charges towards fine leg, tells Brevis it’s his catch but can’t quite reach the ball as he dived forward.That looked like a much better chance for Brevis.Finn Allen steers his first ball past slip for four.It went finer than he intended so Rabada will feel unfortunate with that too – and again when Allen thumps his second delivery just short of cover.

1st over: New Zealand 11-0 (Seifert 11, Allen 0) An eventful start to the innings.Seifert drives Jansen square for four, snicks another boundary wide of slip and edges the next delivery this far short of Rickelton at short third.We’re back.And the giant left-arm quick Marco Jansen is going to bowl the first over.“This is going to be tight isn’t it,” says Ruth Purdue.

“Fair play for SA for battling through past 150,Are we going to see the old South Africa or the new world beaters? Do you think the Proteas have the best bowling lineup in the tournament?”I’d probably take India’s on paper but in this tournament SA have been the best I guess,They’re the only team going at less than eight an over with the ball,How they cope with the dew will probably decide this game,20th over: South Africa 169-6 (Jansen 55, Maharaj 1) Maharaj dabs the hat-trick ball for a single to get Jansen on strike for the last delivery of the innings.

He scruffs a yorker down the ground for two to complete an outstanding last over from Matt Henry: six runs, two wickets.New Zealand need 170 to win.Poor batting from Kagiso Rabada, who chips his first ball to Neesham at long on.That means Jansen stays off strike.Matt Henry takes care of Corbin Bosch with an immaculate yorker.

Three balls remaining; South Africa need Jansen to face the last two.19th over: South Africa 163-6 (Jansen 52, Bosch 1) Jansen continues a gem of an innings by cuffing a short ball from Ferguson over mid-on for six.He drives the next ball over long-on for six more to reach a coruscating 27-ball fifty, including 31 from the last nine deliveries.Fabulous bowling from Lockie Ferguson, who goes round the wicket to the right-handed Stubbs and cleans him up with a slower ball.Stubbs goes for a handy 24-ball 29; there are 11 deliveries remaining.

18th over: South Africa 150-5 (Stubbs 29, Jansen 40) Tristan Stubbs wallops Neesham for 10 runs in two deliveries – four down the ground, six pulled meatily into the crowd.Stubbs, who was was 13 not out from 18 balls, has hit 16 from his last five.Jansen does the same thing to end a huge over for South Africa.First he touches a bad delivery to fine leg, then he carts a pull over midwicket for six.Twenty-two from the over, 37 from the last two.

South Africa are right back in this.17th over: South Africa 128-5 (Stubbs 18, Jansen 29) Jansen starts South Africa’s death march – don’t worry, in cricket that’s a positive thing – by swinging Henry handsomely into the crowd at midwicket.He is such a clean hitter of the ball.Stubbs slugs four more before hitting a single to bring up the fifty partnership from 43 balls.Fifteen from the over.

16th over: South Africa 113-5 (Stubbs 12, Jansen 21) Santner bowls a couple of wides but concedes only three off the bat in his final over.He finishes with 4-0-25-0.With the important caveat that nobody knows anything, it feels like New Zealand are well on top here.15th over: South Africa 108-5 (Stubbs 10, Jansen 20) Lockie Ferguson comes back into the attack.Stubbs cracks an extra cover drive that is half stopped by the diving fielder, a fine effort that saved three runs.

But it was a no-ball so South Africa have a free hit.Ferguson restricts them to a single with a fine yorker.Six singles, a no-ball and a dot ball = seven from the over.14th over: South Africa 101-5 (Stubbs 7, Jansen 17) Jansen dances down the pitch to drive Ravindra for a seriously elegant straight six.Seifert tries to take a catch near short leg when Stubbs pushed at Ravindra, though I think it hit only the pad.

Doesn’t matter because Seifert couldn’t reach it,Ravindra finishes his spell with figures of 4-0-29-2,13th over: South Africa 91-5 (Stubbs 5, Jansen 9) Santner concedes three from his first five balls, only for Jansen to edge the last past the keeper for four,South Africa needed that,12th over: South Africa 84-5 (Stubbs 3, Jansen 4) Rachin Ravindra’s day started miserably when he dropped Markram.

Now, after a boundaryless over, he has superb figures of 3-0-19-2,In the context of the most recent game on this ground, when India chased 196 to beat West Indies, New Zealand are in a terrific position,This pitch feels slightly slower, but South Africa surely need at least 150,11th over: South Africa 80-5 (Stubbs 1, Jansen 2) Marco Jansen, a bruising hitter but not necessarily a man you want coming in as early as the 11th over, is the new batter,He and Tristan Stubbs will have to take a couple of overs to get their bearings.

South Africa are officially in the malodorous stuff.The dangerman Brevis has driven Jimmy Neesham straight to extra cover and is on his way for 34.That was a bit of a nothing shot, particularly for such a decisive and devastating strokeplayer.10th over: South Africa 77-4 (Brevis 34, Stubbs 0) Rachin Ravindra now has 11 wickets at this World Cup, two fewer than the clubhouse leaders Shadley Van Schalkwyk and Blessing Muzarabani.Miller has been dropped by Glenn Phillips! He launched Ravindra over extra cover but didn’t quite hold of the shot.

Phillips charged round with time to spare, only to get in a awkward position as he tried to take the catch.The ball hit him in the chest rather than nestling in the hands.Later in the over Brevis hits Ravindra over wide mid-on for an entirely ludicrous one-handed six.Wow.Brevis looks so dangerous.

Trouble is, he might need to do it on his own because South Africa keep losing wickets,Miller, reprieved earlier in the over, holes out to Mitchell at long-off and is on his way for 6,That was a much simpler catch – but it’s another Brobdingnagian wicket for New Zealand,9th over: South Africa 67-3 (Brevis 27, Miller 3) Oh, hi! Brevis makes room to pummel the first ball of Santner’s second over for a humongous six over long-on,If you are not familiar with Dewald Brevis, he’s 22 years old and obscenely talented.

He could hit sixes in the Colosseum.Four singles make it a handy over for South Africa.This game is beautifully poised, just the way us neutrals like it.8th over: South Africa 57-3 (Brevis 19, Miller 1) The TV commentators, Pommie Mbangwa and Danny Morrison, are not entirely convinced it was a clean catch by Mitchell.Interesting.

Rachin Ravindra, who dropped Markram on 3, has picked him up with the ball! Markram hammered Ravindra down the ground and was caught just about the ground by Daryl Mitchell.It went to upstairs, which led to the usual argument about whether he got his fingers under the ball.I thought he did, and more importantly so did the third umpire.That’s an excellent catch, and a huge wicket for New Zealand.7th over: South Africa 52-2 (Markram 17, Brevis 17) Seifert has passed a concussion test but is going to keep wicket in a helmet.

With the Powerplay done, the New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, the craftiest of left-arm spinners, comes into the attack.His first over, full of subtlety and variation, yields only four singles for South Africa.It hasn’t been the kind of flying start we’re used to from South Africa but I think they’ll be pretty happy with their recovery from 12 for 2.If they keep wickets in hand they could be devastating at the death.6th over: South Africa 48-2 (Markram 16, Brevis 15) A sharp lifter from Ferguson beats Brevis and gets really big on the keeper Seifert, who can only deflect it into his face.

I think he’s okay but the physio has come on during the drinks break.Being hit in the coupon by a Lockie Ferguson delivery can’t be much of an experience.5th over: South Africa 45-2 (Markram 15, Brevis 14) Markram was an unfulfilled talent for so long, almost a decade, but these days he bats with a formidable combination of authority and skill.When the new bowler Jimmy Neesham tries to follow him outside leg stump, Markram clips wristily into the crowd at midwicket.Some shot, that.

Brevis turns a good over into a huge one – 17 from it – by cover-driving successive boundaries.Brilliant batting.4th over: South Africa 28-2 (Markram 8, Brevis 5) Two right-handers at the crease now, so McConchie is replaced by the rapid Lockie Ferguson.Markram clips his third ball towards midwicket, where Ravindra drops a pretty simple chance.You’ve just dropped the T20 World Cup, etc