CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

Upset South Africa to enter last 4

Karachi, Tuesday - Richie Richardson's ambition of bowing out as West Indies captain by winning the World Cup came a step closer when his team pulled off a compelling 19-run quarter-final win over South Africa on Monday.

A fluent century from Brian Lara and some mesmerising spin bowl- ing inspired the mercurial West Indies, who scored 264 for eight in their 50 overs and dismissed South Africa for 245 with three balls remaining.

Richardson, who is to retire as skipper at the end of the tournament, said the victory meant a lot to his players. ``Also for the people back home. They have been hungry and we've let them down a little in recent times. Now we are destined to win the World Cup.''

Lara Hits 111

Lara, finally making an impact at the World Cup, stroked 111 while off-spinner Roger Harper snapped up four wickets, three of them in one over, and Jimmy Adams captured three with his left- arm spin.

It was Lara's elegant innings which paved the way for his team to reach the semifinals, an achievement which seemed implausible after the West Indians had been beaten in their qualifying group by minnows Kenya.

Lara, with makeshift opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul proving an effective ally, scored his runs off 94 balls, including five boundaries in a single over by off-spinner Pat Symcox.

It was the perfect antidote to a week of intense off-field pres- sure for the gifted Lara, under a cloud of controversy before the match for stinging criticism of his team and an alleged racist remark.

Chanderpaul made 56 off 93 balls in a mature innings after he was promoted to replace regular opener Sherwin Campbell, dropped for the match.

Brian McMillan proved the best of the bowlers with two for 37 off his 10 overs.

Unlucky start

South Africa had an unlucky start to their innings when Gary Kir- sten dislodged the bails as he set off for a run from a Curtly Ambrose delivery, and was out for three.

Andrew Hudson and Daryll Cullinan put on 97 for the second wick- et, both scoring half-centuries, but began to lose touch with the run rate as Adams and Harper pinned them back.

Adams finished with three for 52 but it was Harper who turned the tide decisively in the 41st over.

He had Jonty Rhodes caught on the cover boundary with his first ball and then trapped McMillan leg before wicket with the next delivery.

Three balls later he added the scalp of wicketkeeper Steve Pal- framan with a brilliant caught and bowled.

There was a last glimmer of hope for South Africa as Symcox hit a quick 24 but he, too, was caught in the deep and with his dismis- sal went their hopes.

The defeat ended a run of 10 successive limited-overs interna- tional wins by South Africa, one short of the record set by West Indies in the mid-1980s.