Sri Lanka - not South Africa - choke in Cricket World Cup quarter-final
South Africa win a knockout game for the first time, setting up a semi-final clash against either co-hosts New Zealand or West Indies
South Africa stormed into the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday with a nine-wicket rout of Sri Lanka, which brought the curtain down on the ODI careers of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
Off-spinner JP Duminy (three for 29) took a hat-trick and leg-spinner Imran Tahir claimed four for 26 as South Africa, who had never before won a World Cup knockout match, set up a clash against either New Zealand or West Indies for a place in the March 29 final.
Chasing just 134 to win, the Proteas reached their target in the 18th over with opener Quinton de Kock 78 not out.
Disappointments are a part of our career, and you just take it on the chin and move on
Sangakkara, in his last one-day international appearance, top-scored for Sri Lanka with 45 as his record-breaking run of four successive ODI hundreds came to an end. Together with Lahiru Thirimanne (41) he put on 65 for the third wicket.
"If you take our innings, it was a lot of stop-starts, but a lot of wickets falling together ... we weren't good enough today. Someone has got to lose in a quarter-final. It's a do-or-die situation," said Sangakkara. "Disappointments are a part of our career, and you just take it on the chin and move on."
Fellow veteran Jayawardene, who now quits all international cricket, made only four before he became one of Tahir's victims as the 1996 champions lost their last six wickets for just 19 runs.
South Africa skipper AB de Villiers, who lost the toss, said he felt his team can now go on and win an elusive first World Cup. "I'm quietly confident. I'm always a positive kind of guy - I always believe in big things," he said.