Black Caps Into The Cricket World Cup Final!

What a game!! 

Our boys are into the final and we couldn't be more proud.

Story from Newstalk ZB

The Cricket World Cup has been crying out for a classic match. A game that has moments that will live in the collective memory of cricket fans for decades to come. 

In the 1999 World Cup semi finals South Africa were on the receiving end of a brain explosion so awful it cost them their first ever spot in a Cricket World Cup final. Lance Klusener and Allan Donald ended up stranded at the same end with one needed to win, the Australians got the ball to the right end, and the run out was completed. 

How appropriate that their passage to the 2015 final could have been made or broken by a run out that shouldn't have happened, but did, and a certain run out chance that was botched. 

With Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill building steadily towards the total, Taylor dabbed the ball to backward point. They started, they stopped, started running again, hesitated, Guptill put his head down and sprinted, and was short by miles. 

South Africa had the chance to put the game beyond doubt. Grant Elliott pushed into the off side, and Corey Anderson charged down the pitch. He was sent back, the throw came in and the bails came off. He was out. But the pained face of AB de Villiers at the bowlers end told a different story.

On closer inspection, the ball came out of his hand before it hit the stumps, and the decision was overturned.On such moments can rest entire campaigns.

Corey Anderson went on to score 58, a crucial contribution to the eventual win. 

It was a result built on taking the moments of the greatest pressure, and winning them.

From the outset with the ball, the Black Caps were hard on attack.

South Africa are a team that back themselves to soak up pressure, but will have experienced few opening salvos as brutal as that served up by Trent Boult and Tim Southee. 

The bowlers were supported by attacking fields more suited to test cricket than the ODI format, and a capacity Eden Park crowd that gave full weight to the idea of home advantage, possibly more so than in any previous cricket match in New Zealand.

The South African openers were put under immense pressure. Quinton de Kock's short stay was characterised by fear in his eyes, looking for all the world like a man on the verge of a panic attack.

De Kock's nerve broke, charging down the pitch to Boult and flashing a thick edge to Southee on the third man boundary. He left the field on the verge of tears.

Rilee Rossouw and Faf du Plessis set about occupying the crease, building a platform for one of the famous explosions of AB de Villiers. Putting the run rate out of their minds, they played sensible cricket against top quality bowling. 

Faf du Plessis was part of the 2011 South African team, and played in the quarterfinal against New Zealand. Then, he was involved in a dramatic and ugly collapse that included the run out of AB de Villiers while he was at the other end, and the throwing away of his own wicket when the game could still have been won. This time his knock showed his growth and maturity as a cricketer, surviving the early onslaught to score a vital 82.

Rossouw fell against the run of play, edging a chance sharply taken by Martin Guptill, and bringing the fearsome de Villiers to the crease. All of a sudden, New Zealand's advantage crumbled.

The South African captain set about turning a platform into a target, knocking together 65 off 45 balls. He took 17 balls to bring his strike rate up to 100, and accelerated further from there. He feasted on Anderson in particular, smacking a six and two fours off consecutive balls, adding insult to the injury of Kane Williamson dropping a tough chance during the over. 

Then came the rain, and with it a respite for the Black Caps, who were starting to lose control of the match. South Africa's charge was halted at 216/3 off 38 overs.

After a reduction to 43 overs, South Africa were rocked early in the resumption by a clever review from Anderson, who turned a wide into the wicket of Faf du Plessis, caught behind by Luke Ronchi.

David Miller came to the crease, and set about making an already challenging chase much more difficult. He flayed Southee and Anderson around the ground for 49 off 18 balls, hitting boundaries seemingly at will. He launched South Africa to the challenging score of 281, upgraded to 297 through the Duckworth Lewis System.   

Ultimately it was the nerve of the Black Caps batsmen that was tested so severely at Eden Park. Brendon McCullum, at his brutal best smashed 59 off 26 at the top of the order. He fell trying to smash one more, when consolidating may have been the braver but more effective approach. 

The middle order built steadily towards the total, with Elliott, Taylor and Anderson all making starts.

In the end, only Elliott was there to see the chase through. His innings should have ended in the 2nd to last over. A mistimed pull sailed in the air towards square leg. Substitute fielder Farhaan Behardien and JP Duminy converged under it. They collided, the catch was spilled. On such moments.

10 were needed from 4 balls. Steyn streched a sore calf muscle, ready to charge in for one more blistering effort. The physio came out with the towel and box of medical equipment. The crowd waited. Daniel Vettori on strike waited.

Recalling the ugliest but most effective shots from his decades of cricket, he hung the bat out wide of off, and somehow chopped it to the boundary. A scampered bye and it was 5 off 2. 

Grant Elliott swung hard. It left the bat, sailed into a sea of fans overwhelmed with excitement. He said after the match he didn't even know where the ball went.

Somehow, in the most improbable of circumstances, the Black Caps have won. And now they face an even bigger test. To recover from the high and elation of winning through to their first World Cup final in front of a home crowd, to playing in front of what will be one of the largest crowds in cricketing history at the MCG.

It will be the biggest stage the players in the Black Caps will have ever played on. However, this is a team that has shown they are capable of making the most of the chance to make history.