World Cup 2nd Semi-Final 2023: AUS beat SA by 3 wickets, to face IND in finals

South Africa vs Australia Highlights, World Cup 2nd Semi-Final 2023: AUS defeated SA by three wickets and will face India in the final.

Australia defeated South Africa by three wickets in their 2023 World Cup semi-final fixture, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. Pat Cummins and Co. will now face India in the final. Chasing 213 runs, Australia managed to reach 215/7 in 47.2 overs, in a highly tactical match. Travis Head got a half-century for Australia, smacking 62 runs off 48 balls. Meanwhile, Steve Smith (30), David Warner (29) and Josh Inglis (28) also got key knocks for Australia. For South Africa's bowling department, Tabraiz Shamsi and Gerald Coetzee took two wickets each.

Earlier, David Miller's 101 off 116 balls almost single-handedly took South Africa to a score of 212 after Australia piled on the pressure in the first 20 overs and sent back their top four within the first 12. Australia came out with the bit between their teeth after Temba Bavuma and chose to bat first. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were relentless with their lines and lengths while the Australian fielders were flying around and stopping almost everything. It led to South Africa scoring just 22 runs in the first 11 overs and losing three wickets, including their batting talisman Quinton de Kock. Matters got even worse as Hazlewood got Rassie van der Dussen in the 12th. That brought together South Africa's finishers Heinrich Klaasen and Miller in the 12th over of the innings itself.

Two overs later, rain made an appearance and South Africa was 44/4 in 14 overs. The match resumed just over 50 minutes later with no overs lost. Miller and Klaasen steadied the proceedings for the Proteas before they started counter-attacking and putting some pressure on the Australians. The stand reached 95 in 113 when Travis Head dismissed Klaasen on 47 off 48 in the 31st over. He then got Marco Jansen off the very next ball and Australia was right back on top. Gerald Coetzee then gave Miller able company and the pair put up 53 runs for the seventh wicket. Coetzee soon fell on 19 and Miller batted with the tail to eventually put up a gritty century. He fell soon thereafter on 101 off 116 balls and South Africa were all out for 212 in the final over.