Having never won a World Cup knock-out match previously, South Africa had involuntarily earned themselves the moniker of ‘chokers’. But they put that nickname to bed with a resounding 9-wicket win over Sri Lanka to cruise into the semifinals.
Electing to bat, Sri Lanka just couldn’t get into the groove. Kumar Sangakkara – having scored centuries in his last 4 innings – topscored with a fighting 45. But it couldn’t save the Lankans from folding for 133/4.
Imran Tahir picked up 4 wickets while JP Duminy grabbed 4.
Chasing that measly total was never going to be a problem, even for the infamous ‘chokers’. Hashim Amla lost his wicket cheaply but Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 78 took the Proteas to 134/1 with 9 wickets and 192 balls to spare.
South Africa will meet either New Zealand or West Indies in the semifinal in Auckland on Tuesday, March 24th.
