Champions Trophy: Ravindra, Williamson tons set up NZ’s finale meeting with India (ld)

Lahore, March 5 (IANS) Former winner New Zealand set up a meeting with India in the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai after beating South Africa by 50 runs in the second semi-final at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Wednesday.

After Rachin Ravindra smashed his fifth ODI hundred and second ton of the tournament, and Kane Williamson notched up his third century in a row against South Africa to take New Zealand to 362/6, the highest total in the competition’s history, the Proteas ended up at 312/9, with David Miller’s unbeaten century coming off 67 balls going in vain.

For the Blackcaps, who won the title in 2000, captain Mitchell Santner was the pick of bowlers with 3-43, while Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry took two wickets each. Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra bagged a scalp each as New Zealand got a clinical win and set up their meeting with India for the second time in the tournament.

Electing to bat first on a used pitch, Ravindra was all class in his knock of 108 off 101 balls while adding 164 off 154 balls for the second wicket with Williamson, who made 102 off 94 deliveries. Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips both smashed quick knocks of 49.

South Africa had a hard day of relentless toil under bright Lahore sunshine, with Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj leaking runs. Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, and Wiaan Mulder were amongst the wickets, but they too gave away runs aplenty.

Ravindra and Will Young were largely untroubled at the start of New Zealand’s innings. Ravindra, in particular, was in sparkling touch – hitting Jansen for three boundaries in the seventh over – and two of them were well-timed boundaries through cover, while the other one was hit through mid-wicket.

Ngidi provided the first breakthrough by having Young miscue a slower ball to mid-on in the eighth over. Williamson, fresh off a valiant 81 against India, began nicely by steering Ngidi and Rabada for a boundary each.

Ravindra reached his half-century off 47 balls by pulling Mulder for four before pulling him again for the same result and getting forward to drive through the on-side for picking his third boundary of the 18th over. He and Williamson were adept at rotating the strike, leading to South Africa not being able to exert much pressure.

Ravindra took a liking to Maharaj’s left-arm spin bowling – after lofting him for four, he danced down the pitch to hit another boundary. He then lofted cleanly to smash a six over long-on before getting an outside edge past the keeper for four.

Williamson joined the boundary-hitting spree by flicking Maharaj for six and then getting his fifty in 61 balls off Aiden Markram before taking a four off him via a reverse sweep. He had luck on his side when Heinrich Klaasen dropped a tough catch behind stumps off Ngidi’s bowling. The New Zealand camp was full of cheers in the 32nd over when Ravindra flicked Rabada for two runs and reached his fifth ODI century before he and Williamson took three boundaries collectively off him in the 32nd over, yielding 17 runs.

The 164-run stand for the fourth wicket ended in the 34th over when Ravindra went for a drive against an off-cutter from Rabada, but it produced a thin edge and was caught behind by Klaasen, ending his knock at 108 off 101 balls. Williamson, though, marched forward with his sweep, steer, and scoop to fetch boundaries and get his 15th ODI century in 91 balls. But four balls later, Williamson again went for a scoop but was caught by short fine-leg off a wide yorker from Wiaan Mulder.

After Tom Latham’s attempted scoop resulted in his stumps being left in a mess by Rabada, Mitchell provided late impetus to the innings by hitting Jansen for two fours before swatting Ngidi for a six and two fours on successive deliveries. Phillips joined the slog overs party by slapping Ngidi through point for four, before taking four consecutive boundaries off Jansen.

Though Mitchell holed out to deep mid-wicket off Ngidi for 49, Phillips went after Rabada – hitting a four and six off him as 19 runs came off the 48th over, before 13 runs came in the final overs, as New Zealand hit an astonishing 110 runs in their last ten overs.

Chasing 363, the in-form Ryan Rickleton began by hitting four early boundaries before he was undone by Henry’s cutter, and the leading edge was caught by short cover in the fifth over. Temba Bavuma was struggling to get going, as seen from him being three off 18 balls, before breaking the shackles by hitting a four each off Henry and Kyle Jamieson.

While van der Dussen took two fours off Henry, Bavuma pulled Jamieson over square leg for six. After the duo took a four each off William O’Rourke, Bavuma brought up South Africa’s hundred by going inside-out against Michael Bracewell for four and got his seventh ODI fifty in 64 balls.

Shortly after, van der Dussen brought up his third consecutive fifty with a single as South Africa’s chase gave a stable look, especially with Bavuma’s catch being dropped by Williamson at short mid-wicket. But in the 23rd over, Bavuma looked to slice a flighted delivery from Santner but was caught by backward point for 56.

Three overs later, Santner struck again as he got one to turn enough and castled van der Dussen for 67. In his next over, he landed a huge blow to South Africa’s chase by having Klaasen pull to Henry at long-on, though he injured himself after landing on the right shoulder.

From there on, South Africa’s slide in the chase began –Ravindra held on to a chip from Markram’s bat off his own bowling, Mulder miscued a slog-sweep to deep square leg off Bracewell, and Jansen was trapped lbw by Phillips, who later had Maharaj caught behind.

Despite Rabada hitting two boundaries in his 22-ball 16 and Miller carting bowlers all around the park in breathtaking fashion to complete a century on the last ball of the innings, it wasn’t enough for South Africa to stop New Zealand from progressing into the Champions Trophy final.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 362/6 in 50 overs (Rachin Ravindra 108, Kane Williamson 102; Lungi Ngidi 3-72, Kagiso Rabada 2-70) beat South Africa 312/9 in 50 overs (David Miller 100 not out, Rassie van der Dussen 69, Temba Bavuma 56; Mitchell Santner 3-43, Glenn Phillips 2-27) by 50 runs

–IANS

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