Head breaks South African hearts, Australia reach final

KOLKATA: Travis Head starred with bat and ball as Australia set up a World Cup final clash with India after a tense three-wicket win over South Africa in Kolkata on Thursday.

Chasing a tricky 213 for victory, Australia wobbled after Head hit 62 but Steve Smith (30) and Josh Inglis (28) helped the five-time champions reach their target with 16 balls to spare in the second semi-final in Kolkata.

As Australia reached an eighth World Cup final, South Africa were left to rue a fifth semi-final loss despite David Miller´s 101.

Australia slipped to 137-5 and then 193-7 before Mitchell Starc (16) and skipper Pat Cummins (14) kept their nerve to steer the team home.

Left-hand batsman and part-time off-spinner Head stood out after taking two wickets and then with his 48-ball innings laced with nine fours and two sixes.

Australia were in trouble when they were five down as spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi struck in quick succession to rattle the middle-order.

Maharaj bowled Head, who was dropped on 40 and 57, and Shamsi, a left-arm wrist spinner, trapped Marnus Labuschagne lbw for 18 and bowled Glenn Maxwell for one in his next over.

Australia started the tournament with two losses but registered their eighth straight win. Starc led the bowling charge with figures of 3-34 and Cummins also picked three wickets to bowl out South Africa for 212 in 49.4 overs.

Left-arm quick Starc struck in the first over to send back South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, who had said he was not “100% fit” at the toss, for a fourth-ball duck. Josh Hazlewood claimed the wicket of in-form Quinton de Kock for three as Cummins took a stunning catch.

De Kock, who will quit one-day international after the World Cup, ended with 594 runs including four centuries to sit behind the tournament´s leading batsman Virat Kohli (711). The new-ball bowlers kept up the attack with the wickets of Aiden Markram (10) and Rassie van der Dussen (six) as South Africa slumped to 24-4 and were 44-4 when rain interrupted play.

South Africa won the toss

South Africa Innings

De Kock c Cummins b Hazlewood 3

Bavuma (c) c Inglis b Starc 0

Der Dussen c Smith b Hazlewood 6

Markram c Warner b Starc 10

Heinrich Klaasen b Head 47

Miller c Head b Cummins 101

Marco Jansen lbw b Head 0

Coetzee c Inglis b Cummins 19

Maharaj c Smith b Starc 4

Rabada c Maxwell b Cummins 10

Tabraiz Shamsi not out 1

Extras: (lb 4, w 7) 11

Total: 49.4 Ov (RR: 4.26) 212

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-8, 3-22, 4-24, 5-119, 6-119, 7-172, 8-191, 9-203, 10-212

Bowling: Mitchell Starc 10-1-34-3, Josh Hazlewood 8-3-12-2, Pat Cummins 9.4-0-51-3, Adam Zampa 7-0-55-0, Glenn Maxwell 10-0-35-0, Travis Head 5-0-21-2

Australia Innings

Head b Maharaj 62

Warner b Markram 29

Marsh c Dussen b Rabada 0

Smith c Kock b Coetzee 30

Labuschagne lbw b Shamsi 18

Maxwell b Shamsi 1

Inglis b Coetzee 28

Starc not out 16

Cummins (c) not out 14

Extras: (lb 3, nb 2, w 12) 17

Total: 47.2 Ov (RR: 4.54) 215/7

Did not bat: Adam Zampa, Josh

Hazlewood

Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-61, 3-106, 4-133, 5-137, 6-174, 7-193

Bowling: Marco Jansen 4.2-0-35-0, Kagiso Rabada 6-0-41-1, Aiden Markram 8-1-23-1, Gerald Coetzee 9-0-47-2, Tabraiz Shamsi 10-0-42-2, Keshav Maharaj 10-0-24-1

Result: Australia won by 3 wickets

Player of the match: Travis Head

Umpires: Menon, Kettleborough