Player of the Match
Player of the Match

That's all we have for you from an eeeeeepic game. Thanks for your company and on behalf of Karthik and Thilak, this is Deiva Muthu saying good night and go party

More from Kane Williamson: To be honest, when we went out there this morning, I thought the wicket was soft. And naturally they didn't have the best weather to harden up. So bowling was what both teams are looking to do. We knew we had to adapt quickly. It usually is when it hardens up. Try and read it as you go. Someone as de Grandhomme bowls beautifully in Test cricket when you hit the area and out here that area was the most important thing. The slower bowlers felt they were the hardest to get away and that's what we were looking to do. [on batting with de Grandhomme] You have a quiet chat. Hey, play your natural game and he's done it a number of times. He's your X-factor player and what an occastion to do it. On that wicket. It wasn't easy to play a knock like that. Trying to get across the line, we've played on a variety of surfaces. You look at the other side of the country and they score 350 but that's not been us. But yeah, it's not looking too far ahead and trying to achieve things aren't necessary. But we know there are a number of tough games coming up

Faf du Plessis says: We were aiming 260. I thought that was par on this wicket. The chat in the team room was to aim at 260 and 270. So we fell short. So good bowling from New Zealand and not getting boundaries away by us played a part. Individual batters will look at having an opportunity at facing a bowler that the fancy. Kane showed that. He also found it difficult to score but he waited for the guy he could hit. We also had a lot of stop start stop start innings but Kane batted through for the hundred and that was the game changer. We did everything we could. We threw ourselves a round. The energy was unbelievable. Sure, there was sometimes that we dropped intensity. But Kane took it away from us. [On missing DRS to get Williamson out] Was that lbw out? I don't know. Which one is that. I don't know. Oooh the nick. Oh well. There was no real appeal. No real lets have a look at it. So yeah, ask him [Imran Tahir] That's all we can do. The performances haven't been there. Individually we should have put on performances that could have driven the team home. But now we have to just try out best to compete again"

Kane Williamson is the Man of the Match: Yeah, it was nice to be there at the end. We knew from the first half that it was a tough surface - it was pretty soft and the ball was holding up in the surface. We managed to build the pressure by bowling in the right areas. We then had to build partnerships, but we kept losing unfortunate wickets that made life difficult. De Grandhomme stood out for me with the ball and then providing impetus with the bat. Trying to get through the tough parts - it was about communicating with the partners and feeding off them. Neesham and de Grandhomme both scored at a reasonable clip, so it was about taking the game deep. I was trying trying to do the job and fortunate I could do that. Today was a close one - could have gone either way - but nice to get the win in the end

Trying to get through the tough parts. You know you'll face dot balls out there because it was basically standing up in the surface. So we just had to build partnerships. Neesham and de Grandhomme (60 off 47) scored a bit quicker at the other end so I could just sit in at my end.

Trying to do the job as well as you can and I was fortunate to have been able to do it today. There was a number of other contributions that was vital. One of those surfaces that provides close game and a spectacle.

Kalpit: "Cool, Calm and Composed Kane Williamson ! World cup innings of saviour, an innings to remember for history !! Century from the Black Caps Captain: Kane Williamson !!"

Munwar: "I have in my memory a bearded man in black hitting a six in the last over of the match to eliminate SA from World Cup 2015. Again the same scene is repeated by Kane to eliminate SA from World Cup 2019. #Magic Moment Repeated. What a classy innings from the nicest guy of Cricket #ClassyKane"

Sid: "Any takers for best match of the tournament so far? Or does England v Pakistan edge this one?"

Vinoth: "There is no mathematical, physical, chemical calculation for the last 6teams to qualify for semi finals and this much soon we know the semifinalists"

Kunal Pandya: ""SA vs NZ matches are becoming legendary especially in World Cup like SA vs Aus.""

8pm Nerves, pressure, tricky pitch, try telling that to the ice-cool Kane Williamson. Martin Guptill was out in unlikely fashion - he was out hit wicket - and Ross Taylor was snaffled down leg. But, Williamson hung on and refused to budge. Let's not forget the crucial contribution from Colin de Grandhomme. And let's not forget all those errors from South Africa in the field. The slower balls and cross-seamers gripped in the surface, de Grandhomme holed out but Williamson rose above everything and ushered NZ home.

48.3
4
Phehlukwayo to Williamson, FOUR, Williamson - you beauty! It had to end this way, right? That dab down to third man. Back of a length and outside off, glides it away behind point and seals it for NZ like boss. He is the boss. Meanwhile, South Africa's World Cup hopes are effectively ended
48.2
6
Phehlukwayo to Williamson, SIX, Grant Elliott: 2015. Kane Williamson: 2019. New Zealand are having the times of their lives once again. What an incredible century from Kane Williamson. This was full and outside off, slower variation, Williamson picks it, drops down to one knee and smokes it away into the stands beyond midwicket. Williamson eases the helmet off his head and soaks everything in
48.1
1
Phehlukwayo to Santner, 1 run, hip-high short ball on middle, Santner pulls and finds deep midwicket

New Zealand need 8 off the last over. Can they have the times of their lives once again? Andile will bowl the final over. Faf has a lengthy discussion with him. Okay, guess what the ZING BAILS have stopped play. Scenes at Edgbaston. Sid Monga from the venue: "They are taking the bail from the non-strikers' end to the striker's end. I am not sure the zing is working on the bails now"

Long-on, long-off, two men in the deep on the leg side, sweeper cover in the deep. No short third man or deep third man

END OF OVER:
48 | 6 Runs 1 Wkt | NZ: 234/6 (9 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 4.87, RRR: 9.00)

  • Kane Williamson96 (136b)
  • Mitchell Santner1 (2b)
  • Lungi Ngidi10-1-47-1
  • Kagiso Rabada10-0-42-1
47.6
4
Ngidi to Williamson, FOUR, That artistic dab from Williamson fetches him a crucial four. Slower ball, Ngidi rolls his fingers across the ball and pushes it outside off, Williamson waits for the ball to arrive, then glides it - like only he can - fine of short third man for four. First boundary for Williamson after 38 balls, I'm told. Significant one
47.5
1
Ngidi to Santner, 1 run, slower short ball outside off, swatted away to the bowler, smashes the stumps at the non-striker's and rolls down to long-on
47.4
0
Ngidi to Santner, no run, slower offcutter, excellent execution from Ngidi from round the wicket, beats Santner. De Kock somehow grabs it awkwardly. Pressure. Pressure. Pressure. He didn't even get his body behind the ball
47.3
1
Ngidi to Williamson, 1 run, pitched up and outside off, Williamson shovels it away with the bottom hand to wide long-on
47.2
0
Ngidi to Williamson, no run, Has that been dropped by Ngidi? Nope, that did not carry to him and he wears a wry smile. Slower cutter, grips in the pitch, chipped back, lands just in front of the bowler

Here comes Mitchell Santner. He is so cool and laidback that he has been nicknamed "Flatline" at Northern Districts. A slip greets him. Mid-off sent back

47.1
W
Ngidi to de Grandhomme, OUT, South Africa finally hang onto a catch. Faf du Plessis gives SA hope. Oh man, what a game this is turning out to be! This is the slower one once again. Pitched up and outside off, right up the alley for de Grandhomme to muscle it into the stands. He only holes out to long-off. Is there another twist in this match?

C de Grandhomme c du Plessis b Ngidi 60 (70m 47b 5x4 2x6) SR: 127.65

END OF OVER:
47 | 3 Runs | NZ: 228/5 (15 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 4.85, RRR: 7.50)

  • Colin de Grandhomme60 (46b)
  • Kane Williamson91 (133b)
  • Kagiso Rabada10-0-42-1
  • Lungi Ngidi9-1-41-0
46.6
1
Rabada to de Grandhomme, 1 run, short and outside off, slower one at 117ks, slapped through backward point
46.5
0
Rabada to de Grandhomme, no run, shortish and outside off, now it's CdG's turn to run it away... but third man is up to stop the single
46.4
1
Rabada to Williamson, 1 run, Williamson rides the bounce of this short ball outside off and guides it down to deep third man - like only he can
46.3
0
Rabada to Williamson, no run, short and rises at off, Williamson rises with it and diffuses it
46.2
0
Rabada to Williamson, no run, banged in short at off, Williamson leaps and fends it behind to the keeper

Lakshman Kumar: "The ball seems to be following Miller everywhere he goes..! The only way they can get a Wicket is to make Miller stand right behind the wickets..! "

46.1
1
Rabada to de Grandhomme, 1 run, short, wide, slapped to sweeper cover

END OF OVER:
46 | 9 Runs | NZ: 225/5 (18 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 4.89, RRR: 6.00)

  • Colin de Grandhomme58 (43b)
  • Kane Williamson90 (130b)
  • Lungi Ngidi9-1-41-0
  • Chris Morris10-0-49-3
45.6
1
Ngidi to de Grandhomme, 1 run, another slower cutter, knocked to the leg side for one
45.6
1w
Ngidi to de Grandhomme, 1 wide, slower ball, past the tramline, wide
45.5
4
Ngidi to de Grandhomme, FOUR, A catching opportunity ends up as a boundary. What're you doing SA? Miller runs in, attacks the ball for the catch, but the ball drops in front of him at deep midwicket. Rabada is at the edge of the boundary running round from deep square, he slides, but lets the ball go to the fence. Back of a length and outside off, de Grandhomme smites it away and gets away
45.4
0
Ngidi to de Grandhomme, no run, slower ball, dips under his almighty swing. Beaten lavishly, this offcutter was barely 110ks
45.3
1
Ngidi to Williamson, 1 run, overpitched and outside off, Williamson shovel-drives it with his bottom wrist to the off-side sweeper

Amit Agrawal : "This has been a very strange and disappointing campaign for the South Africans , the players never looked confident enough right from the first game . Really an underwhelming display by a top team. Sad for fans ."

45.2
1
Ngidi to de Grandhomme, 1 run, slower cutter, nurdled to the leg side
45.1
1
Ngidi to Williamson, 1 run, slower short ball, sticks in the surface, Kane yanks his bottom hand off the bat and scoops it away over midwicket

END OF OVER:
45 | 5 Runs | NZ: 216/5 (27 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 4.80, RRR: 6.75)

  • Colin de Grandhomme52 (39b)
  • Kane Williamson88 (128b)
  • Chris Morris10-0-49-3
  • Andile Phehlukwayo8-0-62-1
44.6
4
Morris to de Grandhomme, FOUR, Mowed away to the wide long-on boundary and that's fifty for de Grandhomme. Born in Harare, playing for NZ at home away from home in Edgbaston. He turns out for Birmingham Bears in the T20 tournament here. Who writes your scrips, man? What an innings under pressure. Back of a length and outside off, he swats it away like a fly

New Zealand 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st12MJ GuptillC Munro
2nd60MJ GuptillKS Williamson
3rd2LRPL TaylorKS Williamson
4th6KS WilliamsonTWM Latham
5th57KS WilliamsonJDS Neesham
6th91C de GrandhommeKS Williamson
7th17KS WilliamsonMJ Santner