Australia secured their progression to the Cricket World Cup final after claiming a three-wicket win over South Africa in Kolkata on Thursday.

Travis Head scored a quickfire 62 to give Pat Cummins’ team a flying start after they bowled South Africa out for 212. However, they were pegged back by the Proteas spinners and eventually fell to 137-5.

With 20 runs remaining, Australia came dangerously close to victory, but lost their seventh wicket. Despite mounting pressure, Cummins and Mitchell Starc maintained their composure to win the match with 16 balls remaining.

After impressive new-ball bursts from Josh Hazlewood and Starc, the Proteas were down 24-4. However, David Miller turned things around with a determined 101 from 116 balls.

However, despite a heroic effort in the field, it was insufficient, and Australia moves on to play India in the final on Sunday in Ahmedabad.

Given their past success with that strategy, South Africa was willing to take a risk by batting first in overcast conditions, but they were quickly exposed as Starc and Hazlewood tore through the top order.

With Australia rampant in the field, South Africa managed just eight runs after seven overs and was down to 18-2 at the conclusion of the powerplay. Starc removed Temba Bavuma in the opening over, and Quinton de Kock was bowled out by Hazlewood in the sixth over.

It was up to Miller and Heinrich Klaasen to save the innings after Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen fell in consecutive overs. After a 40-minute rain delay, the duo did just that with a cool-headed 95-run partnership.

Before holing out from the next legal delivery, Miller reached his sixth one-day international hundred with his fifth sixth after Klaasen fell for 47.

Head and David Warner appeared to be getting runs off quickly; they put on 60 in the first six overs, and even after Markram bowled the latter, Australia continued to score runs.

The seamers in South Africa were suffering, and Head, who was dropped on forty, hit three straight boundaries to reach his half-century mark.

Spin altered the rules of the game. The Proteas were quickly back in the hunt after Keshav Maharaj bowled Head through the gate for 62 and Tabraiz Shamsi dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell.

Steve Smith and Josh Inglis stopped a collapse, but Coetzee bowled Inglis and bounced out Smith as Australia neared the finish line.

Starc and Cummins had to wait it out because South Africa wouldn’t admit they were defeated. More than seven overs passed before the captain of Australia cut Marco Jansen for four to complete the victory.

Not surprising, given the dismal skies and captain Bavuma’s admission of being out of form, that South Africa decided to bat first.

This World Cup, they have been just as good at setting a total as they have been nervous chasers.

But within the first twelve, they witnessed Starc and Hazlewood dissect their previously extremely successful strategy.

South Africa’s top order was simply unable to bear the pressure from the excellent bowling and fielding.

However, they displayed remarkable fight with the bat and ball for a team that was notorious for collapsing in games under duress in the past.

Despite strong pressure from Australia, Miller and Klaasen maintained their composure to make sure South Africa had a total to defend at least.

After a disastrous beginning, they might have withered away with the ball, but Coetzee’s tenacity and resolve showed through as he batted through an eight-over spell to send the game to extra innings.

In the end, though, their early demise proved costly. Maybe 30 more runs would have been sufficient. Nevertheless, despite their incredible spirit, there is still a long way to go before there is a men’s World Cup final.

After six weeks, Australia’s World Cup journey will come to an end as it started—against a formidable India team.

In front of a full house, 99.9% of which will be rooting for India, they will face a team that has no evident weaknesses at home. The venue may have changed, but the challenge is still the same.

Although the task remains the same, Australia is not the same. Since losing by six wickets in Chennai, they have matured in this tournament, and following eight straight victories, they will have a lot of optimism.

Australia participates in World Cups in this way. They triumph.

They succeeded in defeating South Africa, despite how difficult they made it for themselves. At the beginning of each innings, their talent was evident, and in the closing stages, their experience showed.

Even against the formidable India, Australia will be supporting themselves to make up for the other of their two losses in the tournament final. They have already exacted revenge in the semis.

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