Published: Mar 24, 2015, 10:51 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 25, 2015, 10:22 AM (IST)
Grant Elliott, Brendon McCullum, and Corey Anderson were heroes with that bat today as New Zealand beat South Africa by four wickets to become the first team to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final, to be played on March 29 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The trio scored valuable half-centuries with Elliott staying at the crease till the end. Pramod Ananth sheds more light on their innings.
Brendon McCullum opened the innings as usual with Martin Guptill, who was coming at the back off a magnificent double ton in the quarter-final against West Indies. Regardless of the situation, McCullum plays attacking cricket and has ripped apart every single bowling attack in the world. Today was no different as McCullum was once again clinical in destroying the bowlers with ease. READ: New Zealand vs South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Semi-Final: South African innings highlights
Needing 298 to win in 43 overs, McCullum started his innings off with a huge six over extra cover off the bowling of Dale Steyn in the fourth ball of the innings. He quickly raced into the 20’s in 10 deliveries and looked set to race to a big score in no time. He took Dale Steyn apart in the fifth over, where he scored 25 runs and New Zealand raced to 71 for no loss in five overs. He reached his 50 off just 22 deliveries and set the stage beautifully for other players to exploit. Read: New Zealand vs South Africa, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 1: New Zealand innings Highlights
He was dismissed soon after that for a 26-ball 59, with eight fours and four sixes punctuating his innings. It was highly important for New Zealand to get off to a flyer and McCullum, leading from the front, provided just that. He was excellent in his strokeplay and did not give the opposition any time to rest. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Grant Elliott came in at a time when New Zealand still needed 170 from from 26 overs. A lot of work was yet to be done, but thanks to the explosive innings from McCullum they were cruising at well over seven runs and over. He scored a boundary off the very first delivery he faced off Imran Tahir. He was going about his task in hand very well. He put away deliveries that were loose and gave due respect to the deliveries that deserved it. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
He put on an excellent 103-run stand with Corey Anderson for the fifth wicket, which turned out to a match-winning one. Anderson, known for his hard-hitting abilities, who also holds the record for the second fastest One-Day international (ODI) century, played a completely different role today. Yes, he did hit some lusty blows, but he was much more circumspect in his approach and played according to the situation. He did not take unnecessary risks.
Anderson should have been run out when he was on 33, but some poor effort in the field gave him a let off. He did not throw away his wicket after that, he in fact he grew in confidence and played a crucial role in getting his side over the line. He was eventually dismissed for 58, but he can be proud of the effort. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Johannesburg-born Elliott knew exactly what was at stake when he walked out to the middle and seemed determined to take his side home once he got his eye in. At no point did he look under pressure, and was going at close to run-a-ball throughout. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
He would have dreamt of moments like these ever since he moved to New Zealand from South Africa to pursuit his cricketing career. He was however given a major let-off in the final delivery of the 42nd over when JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien collided and dropped a catch in the deep. Had that been taken, the result of the match could’ve been different. But Elliott was unfazed by this and went right till the end and guided his team home with one ballt to spare. Top 10 wicketkeepers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
The innings of the three batsmen proved to be vital as it got New Zealand to their maiden World Cup final. What was good to see was New Zealand did not lose wickets in a hurry and did not slow down their run rate in the process. Even their small partnerships in between came at a good pace. This definitely eased the pressure off Elliot and Anderson in the middle overs. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
New Zealand have been in the semi-final on six previous occasions but have never been to a final. The 15 players will perhaps be playing in the biggest match of their careers on March 29 at Melbourne.
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
