Sri Lanka (220-5, Dilshan 73, Southee 3-57) beat New Zealand (217, Styris 57, Mendis 3-35) by 5 wickets, with 13 balls to spare.

New Zealand 221-8 (Ryder 83, Morkel 3-46) beat South Africa 172 (Kallis 45, Oram 4-39) by 49 runs.

On paper it looked to be the most mismatched of all four quarter finals. The best balanced side in the tournament, with what was unmistakeably the best bowling line up, against a team who had confident wins against Pakistan and Zimbabwe but failed against Sri Lanka and Australia. Ross Taylor’s blazing century against Pakistan aside, there was little to suggest that this Black Caps side was poised to set the tournament alight.

When I told a friend I was watching New Zealand take on Sri Lanka in the inaugural T20 World Cup match, he looked away in disgust. New Zealand, claims my friend, are a chore to watch. He’d much rather watch his Mac put through a crusher, take a holiday in Witbank, or watch Bangladesh volunteer to a whipping. 'New Zealand playing T20 cricket translates to a dull team attempting an exciting game,' he insisted.

New Zealand is a team that regularly punches above their weight on the international scene but rarely do they walk away with the spoils at major championships.

    The Black Caps, like the Proteas, have crossed the line in first place just once – the 2000 Champions Trophy held in Nairobi. South Africa won the inaugural Champions Trophy in Dhaka two years earlier.

    New Zealand’s latest heartbreak at a world event came in last year’s Champions Trophy when they lost to arch-rivals Australia in the final.

Standard Bank has had a long and successful relationship with South African cricket and we’re proud to announce that this relationship has just been extended to include the sponsorship of the 2009 International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy, which takes place in South Africa from 22 September to 5 October.