ST GEORGE’S (Grenada), April 15: New Zealand exploited favourable early bowling conditions on Saturday to defeat South Africa by five wickets and follow defending champions Australia into the World Cup semi-finals (also partially reported in Sunday’s edition).

The result also meant Sri Lanka qualified for the final four because South Africa and England can not both reach eight points as they play each other on Tuesday.

On an overcast morning with a hint of rain in the air, Shane Bond and James Franklin took a wicket each in the first three overs and Craig McMillan picked up three cheap wickets near the end to restrict South Africa to 193 for seven.

Captain Stephen Fleming, dropped twice, scored an even 50 and the prolific Scott Styris, who was also let off after scoring only four, reached 56 as New Zealand attained their target from 48.2 overs.

The 10 points New Zealand have now gathered qualifies them for the semi-finals on April 24 and 25. South Africa, the world's top-ranked side before the tournament began, must beat England in their final Super Eights match in Bridgetown on Tuesday and hope other results go their way to reach the semis.

After Fleming had won the toss and asked South Africa to bat, skipper Graeme Smith could make little of Bond's opening over, the second of the day.

He played and missed four in a row, including a no-ball, before pushing the fifth to Jacob Oram at cover diving forward after scoring only a single.

Left-armer Franklin, a transformed bowler when given some assistance from the elements, jagged the final delivery of his second over back into A.B. de Villiers's pads and won an lbw decision before the opener had scored. It was de Villiers's fourth duck of the tournament.

Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs, although beaten repeatedly outside their off-stumps, resurrected the innings.

Both struck Oram over his head for sixes and they took the total to 52 when Kallis (22) mishit Daniel Vettori to Bond at mid-off.

Jeetan Patel, recalled in place of Mark Gillespie to partner Vettori, bowled a highly impressive spell of off-spin, varying his flight and pace cleverly in an initial spell of eight overs for 19 runs.

A subdued Gibbs reached his eighth World Cup half-century but was then out for 60 from 100 balls when he played McMillan's medium pace on to his stumps and the remaining batsmen got starts but failed to capitalise.

New Zealand lost Peter Fulton caught at slip off Makhaya Ntini for 16 and then Ross Taylor lbw to Andre Nel for 10 with the total on 42.

Fleming and Styris took the score to 120 before the Kiwi captain was out to the next ball after completing his half-century from 83 balls with six fours, edging Shaun Pollock to Mark Boucher standing up to the stumps.

Styris, who averaged over a hundred before Saturday, knocked the ball into the gaps to reach his fifth score in excess of 50 in the tournament from 77 balls before he was caught by Gibbs off left-arm spinner Robin Peterson.

McMillan (38 not out) scored freely at the end, striking Peterson for a mighty six and hitting Ntini over his head for four.

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA:

G.C. Smith c Oram b Bond 1

A.B. de Villiers lbw b Franklin 0

J.H. Kallis c Bond b Vettori 22

H.H. Gibbs b McMillan 60

A.G. Prince c Patel b McMillan 37

M.V. Boucher c Fulton b McMillan 16

S.M. Pollock not out 21

A.J. Hall c Oram b Bond 17

R.J. Peterson not out 8

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-7, NB-1) 11

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 193

FALL F WKTS: 1-3 (Smith, 1.5 ov), 2-3 (de Villiers, 2.6 ov), 3-52 (Kallis, 19.5 ov), 4-128 (Gibbs, 36.6 ov), 5-143 (Prince, 40.5 ov), 6-149 (Boucher, 42.2 ov), 7-181 (Hall, 47.6 ov).

DID NOT BAT: A. Nel, M. Ntini.

BOWLING: Franklin 7-2-16-1 (1w); Bond 10-1-26-2 (1nb, 1w); Oram 5-2-23-0; Patel 10-1-36-0; Vettori 10-0-50-1 (1w); Styris 3-0-16-0 (4w); McMillan 5-0-23-3.

NEW ZEALAND:

P.G. Fulton c Hall b Ntini 16

S.P. Fleming c Boucher b Pollock 50

R.L. Taylor lbw b Nel 10

S.B. Styris c Gibbs b Peterson 56

C.D. McMillan not out 38

J.D.P. Oram b Nel 10

B.B. McCullum not out 4

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-8, NB-1) 12

TOTAL (for five wkts, 48.2 overs) 196

FALL OF WKTS: 1-25 (Fulton, 7.2 ov), 2-42 (Taylor, 12.2 ov), 3-120 (Fleming, 30.1 ov), 4-176 (Styris, 43.4 ov), 5-192 (Oram, 48.1 ov).

DID NOT BAT: D.L. Vettori, J.E.C. Franklin, S.E. Bond, J.S. Patel.

BOWLING: Pollock 10-0-30-1 (2w); Ntini 10-0-42-1 (1w); Nel 9.2-0-33-2 (1nb, 1w); Hall 8-0-32-0 (2w); Kallis 4-0-17-0; Peterson 7-0-39-1 (2w).

RESULT: New Zealand won by five wickets.

UMPIRES: M.R. Benson (England) and D.J. Harper (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: B.R. Doctrove (West Indies).

MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Craig McMillan.—Reuters