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.

And then there were the Proteas. Robin Peterson, dismissed by many as an “also ran”, who quickly gained the respect of fans and opposition with his match winning innings against India and game changing performances with the ball. Imran Tahir, who changed the face of the South African side with his beguiling and masterful leg spin. Dale Steyn, whose bowling performances at the death had already struck fear into the hearts of the Indian, West Indian and English middle order. At the top of the order, there was little to cheer about, but with so much talent, it seemed inevitable that the batsmen would come through, eventually. Graeme Smith, once ranked #1 in the ICC ODI rankings. Hashim Amla, the current #1 ODI batsman. AB de Villiers, ranked #2. Jacques Kallis, the best all rounder of the modern game. With these four at the top, the Proteas must have felt that any total was theirs to set or chase.

It began at the toss, when Vettori won and put the Proteas into bat. Smith’s disappointment was palpable as he once again mentioned the importance of runs on the board in a knockout game, but the troops rallied and were ready to take the field. And take the field they did, with Peterson striking in the third over to remove Brendon McCullum with a stunning catch off his own bowling, and Steyn removing Guptill in the 6th, reducing New Zealand to 16-2. The Proteas didn’t know it then, but the turning point of the match was about to come to pass. With the early stutter behind them, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor started sedately, knocking singles around and scoring at just over 3 an over to see off the mandatory powerplay and then the bowling powerplay. Their 50 partnership came off 71 balls, but what was important was that they were riskless, picking up runs where they could and the odd boundary where it was available. South Africa were good in the field, restricting runs in the infield and stopping balls in the outfield, but Taylor and Ryder soldiered on, putting on 114 in 162 balls before Taylor was dismissed, with a great catch by Kallis off Tahir’s bowling. Their partnership was monumental in giving New Zealand a defendable total and it allowed Styris to come in and play a handy cameo innings of 16 off 17 balls before he was dismissed. When Ryder fell to Tahir for 83 off 119 balls, a few overs later, with the score at 156-5, the Proteas looked re-energised and ready to go in for the kill, but some gritty batting by the young Kane Williamson and small additions by the lower order helped New Zealand to 221-8 in their 50 overs. With the platform provided by Taylor and Ryder, South Africa at one stage may have been looking at a chase of 250 or even 270, but relatively good bowling and an all round competent fielding performance looked to have put them in prime position to win the game. Tahir’s two wickets had proven vital as he removed Taylor and Ryder, and Morkel created a middle order collapse with his piercing line and length, with Steyn getting a wicket at the end to complement the wicket he took at the start of the innings.

The South African chase started poorly when Amla got an inside edge which bounced off McCullum’s boot and was caught at slip on the final ball of the first over. A freak wicket, and an unfortunate end for Amla, who had been South Africa’s go-to batsman under pressure. Kallis and Smith looked to steady the ship, keeping up with the rate as they put on 61 runs before an expansive shot by Smith saw him caught at cover, with the score at 69-2. That was Jacob Oram’s first wicket, and it was to be the beginning of one of his career best displays in the field. AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis looked set to cut the chase down considerably before Kallis smashed a ball to the deep midwicket boundary which looked to be six until Oram ran around to take the catch of the game, and create the turning point for the match. It was 108-3, but from there, the nerves looked ever-present in the Proteas camp. At 121-4, Duminy was bowled by McCullum for three, and a few balls later Faf du Plessis took off on a suicidal run that ended AB de Villiers’ innings of 35 off 40 balls. A mid-pitch altercation between the Black Caps’ 12th Man, Kyle Mills, and du Plessis demonstrated just how high tensions were out in the middle and they increased tenfold when Johan Botha was bowled (by Jacob Oram) for 2, with the score at 128-6. A few overs earlier, the Proteas had looked to be cruising, but with Peterson and du Plessis out in the middle, it was crunch time and the responsibility all seemed to fall on this partnership. It was not to be, and Robin Peterson, SA’s saviour against India, fell for a duck (to Jacob Oram) with the score at 132-7, and 90 runs needed for victory off just 94 balls. Dale Steyn came out and tried to make a go of it, hitting a confident four before being caught (by Jacob Oram) off the bowling of Nathan McCullum for 8. 146-8 it was then, and Morkel and du Plessis tried their damndest to set up a partnership, Morkel trying to hold up one end while du Plessis attempted to farm the strike. They gave Proteas fans the world over a smidgen of hope as they added 26 runs at a decent rate, but when du Plessis was caught by Southee off the bowling of – who else – Jacob Oram, with the score on 172-9, it was all but over and the resistance of the numbers 10 and 11 didn’t last long as Morkel fell without adding anything more. 172 all out and New Zealand had sealed a stunning victory, their fourth over South Africa in a World Cup and their first World Cup knockout win. They now face a semi final against the winner of tomorrow’s quarter final between Sri Lanka and England, and will feel proud of having progressed, having not been given much chance by experts or a majority of cricket fans.

For the Proteas, having dominated the Group stages, it was a bittersweet day – one where the bowlers could hold their heads high, having performed admirably, but where another disappointing chase under pressure meant another World Cup knockout exit and the giant monkey still firmly implanted on their back. With fans and opponents readying their barrage of c-word comments, the sense of schadenfreude of watching the Proteas see another World Cup trophy slip through their grasp will be strong in many parts of the world tonight.

For many, this will be a sad exit – Jacques Kallis, playing in his last World Cup, with only his 69 against India to hold onto as a memorable performance. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who have laboured tirelessly and consistently with the ball to restrict teams and bowl them out. The spin attack of Tahir, Peterson and Botha, whose hold over the middle periods was something to behold for fans tired of watching run fest after subcontinental run fest. AB de Villiers who has been unlucky more than once in this World Cup and has looked in terrific touch throughout, injury and all.

In a tournament of surprises, this will certainly number among the biggest upsets, and Proteas fans who had dreams of seeing the green and gold in Mumbai on April 2nd will sleep disappointed tonight. Another early World Cup exit, and a myriad of questions for Graeme Smith and the rest of the team to mull over on the long flight home.