With India having booked their place in the final, semi-final number two saw Australia and South Africa clash under the lights at the Eden Gardens, the spiritual home of cricket in the subcontinent.
South Africa won the toss, and chose to bat first, a strategy that has earned them much success in 2023. But the conditions were ripe for a fiery Australian bowling lineup. And with the class and quality of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood, Australia exhibited such a stranglehold that it took 52 deliveries for South Africa's first boundary.
Every ball Mitchell Starc bowled seemed to have wicket taking potential, and with Josh Hazelwood's precision in line and length, the Australian bowlers lit up the gloomy evening in Eden Gardens. An early powerplay strike from Starc saw Temba Bavuma depart, before Quinton De Kock was dismissed by terrific bowling from Hazelwood, and a piece of brilliant fielding from Pat Cummins.
Consistency supreme. With swing on offer, that was the motto of the Australian bowlers. In almost Test-match style, Starc and Hazelwood vaporised the top four and sent down 61 dot balls. A drive, a thick outside edge, and David Warner grabbed a great catch at backward point to dismiss Aiden Markram. An over later, another piece of outstanding bowling from Hazelwood, and Rassie van der Dussen departed.
All evening Australia were marvellous in the field, such that when the ball beat the inner circle it came as a surprise. At 24-4, things were looking more than grim and South Africa were in heaps of trouble. Nonetheless, David Miller and Heinrich Klassen laid the foundations of a solid partnership.
Heinrich Klassen, destructive as usual from one end, and with Miller targeting the leg spin of Adam Zampa, the scoreboard began ticking. But with South Africa mounting a stoic recovery, an inspired captaincy change brought Travis Head into the action. An absolute ripper played through Klassen's defences, before Marco Jansen was castled the very next ball.
With wickets tumbling, David Miller played an absolutely terrific innings, and his masterful century gave his bowlers something to work with, and the rest of us something to get excited about. At 101 off 118 balls, Pat Cummins grabbed the enormous wicket, restricting South Africa from a probable further thirty runs. Travis Head exhibiting calmness on the boundary rope, a true punctuation of a fine effort in the field for the Aussies.
With 213 on the scoreboard, despite rallying with the ball, flashes from Travis Head and David Warner gave Australia a flying start. A first ball wicket for Aiden Markram, an astounding catch from van der Dussen and a South African comeback had begun. On the day, five tough catches went down, including two off Travis Head, who ultimately feel to a Keshav Maharaj beauty.
With the wrist-spin of Tabraiz Shamsi and the pace and bounce of Gerald Coetzee, South Africa punctured five holes in the Australian middle order. The crucial wicket of Glenn Maxwell, whose recent double century remains surely the greatest innings in ODI history, sent Shamsi on an Imran Tahir like dance around the pitch. But ultimately 213 fell short and the Australian tail had ice in their veins.
As the pace duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins dragged Australia over the line, having booked a mighty showdown with India on Sunday in Ahmedabad, it was hard not to feel for the Proteas. For it was yet another semi-final defeat for the latest set of South Africans to fall at the penultimate hurdle. When South Africa desperately needed someone to step up, David Miller raised his hand, but in the end, it marked South Africa's seventh semi-final exit at World Cups.
Australia made tremendous use of the pitch, however as the final scoreline suggests, there were stumbles along the way. Often, low scoring knockout games tend to be thrillers, and today, every fan in Kolkata was witness to a gripping knockout contest. A heroic performance from Mitchell Starc, one of five World Cup champions from the class of 2015, secures Australia a chance to claim their sixth title. But against India, it will be more than a formidable challenge.
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