KOLKATA: Jean Paul Duminy put his hand up when the chips were down to help South Africa march into the World Cup quarterfinals from Group B on Tuesday.
Resurrecting a crumbling innings with a tailor-made 99 (103 balls, 6x4, 1x6), Duminy gave his bowlers a big enough total to see off Ireland by 131 runs under lights at the Eden Gardens.
Almost miraculously, the ominous dark clouds which filled up the March sky didn't open up, letting Duminy haul the Proteas up from a precarious 117 for 5 to 272 for 7. Morne Morkel (3-33) then ensured there was to be no second miracle by gobbling up openers William Porterfield and Paul Stirling in his first two overs to finish the match as a contest then and there.
Jacques Kallis (2-20) made up for his failure with the bat by getting the hard-hitting Niall O'Brien --- the third Ireland batsman to perish to a catch behind the stumps on a pitch which offered true bounce and some encouragement for the bowlers all through. The SA spinners --- who have had huge success in the tournament --- joined the party to hasten the end and douse Ireland's flickering hopes of squeezing out a knockout berth, with Robin Peterson pocketing three scalps.
Graeme Smith's men became the first team to book a last-eight slot from the topsy-turvy Group B with 8 points, and will surely top the group if they get the better of Bangladesh in Dhaka later this week.
As for Ireland, who can at best finish with four points if they beat the Dutch at Eden on Friday, it was an agonizing end to a day which began so promisingly for them. Two dropped catches apart, they fielded like champions --- cutting off runs by the dozen, running out Smith and Kallis, and pulling off a couple of stunning catches including the one Kevin O'Brien took running back from mid-on to deny Duminy his hundred. Their bowling, for two-thirds of the SA innings, was impressive as well, with spinners George Dockrell and Paul Stirling doing a sterling job.
Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston, the pair of six-foot-seven new ball operators, bowled well in the first 10 overs before being taken to the cleaners in the final 10.
Resurrecting a crumbling innings with a tailor-made 99 (103 balls, 6x4, 1x6), Duminy gave his bowlers a big enough total to see off Ireland by 131 runs under lights at the Eden Gardens.
Almost miraculously, the ominous dark clouds which filled up the March sky didn't open up, letting Duminy haul the Proteas up from a precarious 117 for 5 to 272 for 7. Morne Morkel (3-33) then ensured there was to be no second miracle by gobbling up openers William Porterfield and Paul Stirling in his first two overs to finish the match as a contest then and there.
Jacques Kallis (2-20) made up for his failure with the bat by getting the hard-hitting Niall O'Brien --- the third Ireland batsman to perish to a catch behind the stumps on a pitch which offered true bounce and some encouragement for the bowlers all through. The SA spinners --- who have had huge success in the tournament --- joined the party to hasten the end and douse Ireland's flickering hopes of squeezing out a knockout berth, with Robin Peterson pocketing three scalps.
Graeme Smith's men became the first team to book a last-eight slot from the topsy-turvy Group B with 8 points, and will surely top the group if they get the better of Bangladesh in Dhaka later this week.
As for Ireland, who can at best finish with four points if they beat the Dutch at Eden on Friday, it was an agonizing end to a day which began so promisingly for them. Two dropped catches apart, they fielded like champions --- cutting off runs by the dozen, running out Smith and Kallis, and pulling off a couple of stunning catches including the one Kevin O'Brien took running back from mid-on to deny Duminy his hundred. Their bowling, for two-thirds of the SA innings, was impressive as well, with spinners George Dockrell and Paul Stirling doing a sterling job.
Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston, the pair of six-foot-seven new ball operators, bowled well in the first 10 overs before being taken to the cleaners in the final 10.
