Edgbaston, Birmingham witnessed a thrilling semi-final clash between South Africa Champions and Australia Champions. The match swung from one team to another and in the end, South Africa held their nerves to eke out a 1-run win and qualify for the finals against Pakistan. South Africa posted 186/8 with Morne van Wyk scoring 76 and JJ Smuts scoring 57 while Peter Siddle picked up 4/30 for Australia.
In the chase, a combined batting effort from Australia led by an unbeaten 49 from Daniel Christian was not enough as Australia fell short by the barest of margins. There was jubilation in the South African camp while agony in the Australian camp as South Africa reached its maiden WCL finals.
Morne van Wyk and JJ Smuts propel South Africa to 186.
After opting to bat first, South African openers JJ Smuts and captain AB de Villiers walked out to bat. Captain Brett Lee started the bowling and bowled a miserly opening over to get things going. AB de Villiers hit the first boundary of the game hitting Siddle through the right of mid-off. Smuts too got a boundary away through mid-on before Siddle hit back and got rid of AB for 6 off 4 balls with a boundary to his name.
Siddle bowled a fullish delivery at the off and middle stump line. AB looked to loft it over mid-on and went for it but failed to get any elevation as he hit it flat to D’Arcy Short at mid-on. Morne van Wyk came out to bat at 3. Smuts hit Lee for a boundary to keep himself going. Nathan Coulter-Nile was welcomed to the bowling crease with a boundary. Smuts hit the first maximum of the day off Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Steve O’Keefe was introduced inside the powerplay and Smuts took him on hitting him for consecutive boundaries to put pressure on the bowler. He hit another boundary a few balls later to keep the scoreboard ticking. Smuts hit Coulter-Nile for consecutive boundaries as South Africa raced past 50 inside the powerplay. Morne van Wyk also smashed a maximum over deep midwicket as South Africa at the end of the powerplay were 61/1.
Peter Siddle came back for a fresh spell and Morne smashed him for a boundary to put pressure on Siddle. Daniel Christian was introduced into the attack and Morne welcomed him with a maximum and followed that up with a boundary and then another maximum as the Proteas were on the charge. Steve O’Keefe bowled a miserly over to pull things back. D’Arcy Short came into the attack as Morne welcomed him with a boundary. Soon, the 100 came up for South Africa in 9.5 overs.
At the end of 10 overs at the halfway stage, South Africa were 101/1. JJ Smuts soon completed his half-century in 37 balls to keep the momentum going. Morne was not to be left behind as he smashed Daniel Christian for the maximum and completed his half-century in 24 balls. He did not stop here as he hit Christian for another boundary before Smuts hit him for a boundary as well. But Christian had his revenge as he dismissed Smuts for 57 off 41 balls with 8 fours and a six to his name.
Christian bowled it short and into the wicket taking pace off the ball, Smuts looked to heave it across and mistimed it totally and hit it towards deep midwicket. Ben Cutting ran to his left and his knee stuck in the process but somehow managed to hold onto the catch. Sarel Erwee came out to bat next. Steve O’Keefe bowled a relatively tight over. Sarel Erwee hit D’Arcy Short for a boundary before Short hit back and got rid of Erwee for 9 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name.
Short tossed it up and bowled a googly around off luring Erwee into a big shot. He danced down the track and got deceived by the turn. He missed the ball as it rattled his stumps. JP Duminy came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway. Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled a miserly 15th over as South Africa reached 143/3 in 15 overs. Morne van Wyk decided to take Brett Lee on hitting him for a huge maximum and followed that up with consecutive boundaries. But Lee had his revenge next ball as he dismissed van Wyk for 76 off 35 balls with 7 fours and 5 sixes to his name.
Lee bowled it full and outside off, van Wyk went deep inside the crease and did not get underneath the ball to hit down the ground but did not get the elevation. He hit it flat and hard to Peter Siddle at wide long-on. Henry Davids came out to bat at 6 and got off the mark with a single. D’Arcy Short bowled another tight over. Duminy then hit Peter Siddle for a boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Davids then smashed Short for a maximum to start the 19th over. Short added another wicket as he got rid of JP Duminy for 14 off 15 balls with a boundary to his name.
Short tossed it up wide outside off, Duminy got down on one knee and looks to slog it away and got it off the toe end of the bat and miscued it straight to deep midwicket fielder. Wayne Parnell came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Peter Siddle was given the task to bowl the final over and after a brace off the first ball, Siddle hit back dismissing Parnell for 3 off 3 balls.
Siddle bowled a length ball around middle and off-stump, Parnell got cramped for room as he looked to play and ended up playing the wrong line as the ball snuck between his bat and pad and castled his stumps. Hardus Viljoen came out to bat next but went first ball. Siddle bowled it full and angling straight into the stumps with pace off the ball, Viljoen looks to swing through the line and missed it completely as the ball rattled his middle stump. Jacques Rudolph came out to bat next to face the hat-trick ball and negotiated it by getting a single to get off the mark.
Siddle got another as he dismissed Davids for 11 off 11 balls with a maximum to his name. Siddle bowled it full and around middle and slower one, Davids went across for the ramp and toe ended it to mistime it high in the air. The short fine leg fielder settled underneath it for an easy catch. Aaron Phangiso came out to bat next and faced a dot ball to end the innings. South Africa Champions finished with 186/8 as Australia came back well with the ball. 9 extras given by the Aussies.
Peter Siddle was the pick of the bowlers for Australia with 4/30 in 4 overs. D’Arcy Short chipped in with a couple of wickets for 32 runs in 4 overs. Brett Lee picked up 1/24 in 3 overs. Daniel Christian also picked up a wicket but went for 36 in 2 overs. Steve O’Keefe bowled a decent spell of 0/30 in 4 overs. Nathan Coulter-Nile went for 33 runs in 3 overs for 0 wickets. It meant Australia Champions needed 187 to win and qualify for the finals.
Daniel Christian leads the charge, but Australia falls short by the barest of margins.
Chasing 187 for the win, Shaun Marsh and Chris Lynn came out to open for Australia while Impact Player Imran Tahir came in and was given the charge of bowling the first over. Tahir bowled a miserly opening over to Australia openers. Aaron Phangiso was introduced from the other end and Lynn took him on by smashing him for the maximum over deep square leg. Lynn then took the attack to Tahir hitting him for a boundary and a maximum before Shaun Marsh also hit a maximum to get himself going.
Hardus Viljoen was introduced into the attack as Lynn got a reprieve from Henry Davids in the field. Lynn punished South Africa by hitting consecutive sixes off Hardus Viljoen. Wayne Parnell came into the attack and he provided the breakthrough for South Africa dismissing the dangerous Lynn for 35 off 20 balls with one boundary and 4 sixes to his name.
Parnell bowled it fuller and around off and took the pace off as well. Lynn looked to go downtown and miscued it high in the air. AB de Villiers at mid-on tracked back and covered around 15-20 yards with the ball swinging away a tad. He kept his eyes on the ball and took a good low catch. D’Arcy Short came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway before Marsh hit Parnell away for another boundary as 50 came up for Australia in 5 overs.
Viljoen bowled the last over of the powerplay. It was a relatively tight over till Short hit Viljoen for a boundary to end the powerplay. At the end of the powerplay, Australia were well-placed at 58/1. JP Duminy was greeted by Shaun Marsh with a boundary. Wayne Parnell bowled a tight over and then got rid of Shaun Marsh for 25 off 17 balls with 2 fours and a six to his name. Parnell dropped it short around off, Marsh rocked back and looked to heave it across and hit it off the splice of the bat. The ball flies straight to the fielder at deep midwicket for an easy catch by Viljoen.
Ben Dunk came out to bat next. Ben Dunk was given a reprieve as Wayne Parnell at slip dropped him off Duminy’s bowling. Duanne Olivier was introduced into the attack and he was smashed by Short for a maximum. At the end of 10 overs at the halfway stage, Australia were 87/2 needing exactly 100 runs off 60 balls with 8 wickets in hand.
Dunk kept the pressure going as he hit Duminy for another maximum. Duanne Olivier provided the breakthrough as he got rid of Ben Dunk for 12 off 11 balls with a maximum to his name. Olivier bowled from over the wicket and bowled a slower delivery on full length targeting the base of the leg stump. Dunk took his front leg away and looked to flick it away. He was early into the shot and played all around it. The ball hit his pads and deflected onto the middle stump. Daniel Christian came out to bat next and got off the mark.
Soon, the 100 came up for Australia in 12 overs. Duminy bowled a tight over as the required rate started to climb upwards for Australia. Christian then broke the shackles as he hit Parnell for the maximum. Christian then hit Tahir for a boundary before Short got into the act and hit Tahir for the maximum to end the 15th over. At the end of 15 overs, Australia were 129/3 requiring another 58 runs off 30 balls.
Viljoen broke the budding partnership dismissing D’Arcy Short for 33 off 29 balls laced with a boundary and 2 sixes to his name. Viljoen bowled a length ball at the middle and leg stump with pace off the ball. Short went for a flick shot but mistimed it towards deep midwicket. Aaron Phangiso moved to his left from deep midwicket and completed an easy catch. Ben Cutting walked out to bat next. Vijoen bowled a waist-high full toss to Cutting which was deemed a no ball but free hit yielded a single. Christian got Viljoen away for a boundary to short fine leg fence. 51 now was needed in 24 balls.
Christian then took Phangiso to the cleaners hitting him for consecutive maximums before ending the over with another boundary as 17 came off the 17th over. The equation now boiled down to 34 needed off 18 balls. Cutting joined the party by smashing Viljoen for a boundary before the bowler gave away 5 wides to Christian. Viljoen hit back by getting rid of Cutting for 8 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name.
Viljoen’s targeted Cutting’s off-stump and nailed a perfect yorker. Cutting cleared his front leg and looked to whip it away over midwicket. He swung and missed as the ball crashed onto the off-stump. Callum Ferguson came out to bat next with Australia needing 21 off 12 balls. Imran Tahir bowling the second last over struck as Callum Ferguson was plumb in front for 3 off 3 balls.
Tahir bowled flatter and fuller targeting the middle stump. Ferguson cleared his front leg and attempted a wild heave over midwicket. He missed it and the ball hit him in the pads right in front of the middle stump. Rob Quiney walked out to bat as an Impact Player. Good over from Tahir meant that Australia now needed 14 off the last 6 balls. Wayne Parnell had the huge responsibility of bowling the final over.
Rob Quiney started the over well by smashing a maximum off Parnell to bring the equation down to 8 off 5 balls. AB did well in the deep to keep it down to a single while Christian the set batter got a couple of runs to bring it down to 5 off 3 balls. Parnell bowled a great delivery and got Christian off strike by giving him a single as 4 was now needed off 2 balls. Quiney then could manage only a single to get to the other end as 3 was needed off 1 ball with Christian back on strike while Quiney was walking off the field after hurting his leg. Nathan Coulter-Nile replaced him at the bowler’s end.
Daniel Christian was on strike with 3 needed off 1 ball as he chipped the fuller delivery at middle and leg stump over the bowler’s head and ABD came to his left from long-on. He is one of the best fielders patrolling in the deep. He collected the ball cleanly on the bounce and threw it to the bowler’s end and Christian did the obvious job of calling Nathan for the second run. The batters go for the impossible second run where Parnell collects ABD’s bullet throw and took the bails off. Coulter-Nile was run out as he was way short of his crease.
There were celebrations and jubilation in the South African camp as they did not choke under pressure while it was despair for Daniel Christian and Australia. Christian remained unbeaten on 49 off 29 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes to his name as Australia finished with 185/7 in 20 overs falling short of the target by 1 run. 12 extras given by South African team.
Wayne Parnell held his nerve for his 2/33 in 4 overs. Hardus Viljoen finished with 2/41 in 4 overs. Imran Tahir finished with 1/43 in 4 overs. Duanne Olivier bowled well for his 1/14 in 2 overs. JP Duminy bowled a miserly spell of 0/25 in 4 overs. Aaron Phangiso went for 26 in his 2 overs and did not pick up a wicket. So, South Africa have reached the finals and Wayne Parnell was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead.
So, the stage is set for the grand finale of WCL 2025 as Pakistan Legends will take on South Africa Legends on 2nd August i.e. Saturday at 9pm IST live from Edgbaston, Birmingham. Both will eye for their first title. Pakistan got a walkover from arch rivals India while South Africa edged out Australia in a thriller. They met in the group stage and Pakistan got the better of South Africa by 31 runs.
So, will Pakistan stay unbeaten and lift the crown? Or will South Africa under the inspirational leadership of AB de Villiers get the victory when it matters and lift the crown? We shall wait till Saturday evening and find that answer as both teams will not give an inch as WCL Season 2 reaches its climax.
Also Read: WCL 2025: AB De Villiers’ Masterful Ton Flattens Australia