Really big (importance of this knock.) Glad to get the hundred, but we want to win at the end of the day. Helped the team to score a decent score with those partnerships. Expected these conditions at the start of the match, but we were on the back foot after four down in the powerplay. Managed to put up a couple of partnerships (with Klaasen and Coetzee), think we fought hard. It's about watching every ball and staying in the moment, trusting your preparation. It's one-ball-at-a-time. We need to put them under pressure in the powerplay by taking wickets. It's about using the conditions, bowling in the right areas.
David Miller struck a 116-ball 101 and lifted South Africa to 212 after his team had lost four early wickets against Australia during the second semifinal of the World Cup here on Thursday.
Miller hit eight fours and five sixes during his rescue act, and brought up his century with a maximum over deep midwicket off Australian captain Pat Cummins. Miller got out two balls later, though.
Opting to bat after winning the toss, South Africa were off to a disastrous start losing both their openers Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma with just eight runs on the board in the sixth over.
Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram too didn't last long, leaving South Africa precariously placed at 24/4 in the 12th over.
Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were the wreckers in chief early into South Africa's innings.
A partnership of 95 runs between Miller and Heinrich Klaasen (47 off 48 balls) steadied the ship before Australia struck again to remove the latter through Travis Head.
STAT ATTACK - Heinrich Klaasen vs Travis Head in ODIs
Runs: 34
Balls: 17
Dismissals: 2
SR: 200
4s/6s: 3/3
Under grey skies, relentless Australian fast bowlers found appreciable bounce and swing to reduce South Africa to 44 for four after 14 overs in the second semifinal of the World Cup on Thursday.
Heinrich Klaasen (10) and David Miller (10) were at crease when a drizzle halted the proceedings. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood led Australia's bowling with two wickets apiece.
Left-arm pacer Starc drew first blood, dismissing South African captain Temba Bavuma for a naught. Bavuma hung his bat outside the off-stump against Starc's angled away delivery, and stumper Josh Inglis completed the sequence through a simple caught behind.
The Proteas suffered an even bigger blow soon when in-form Quinton de Kock was snared by pacer Josh Hazlewood. Deprived of scoring opportunities after a 14-ball three, the left-hander wanted to launch Hazlewood out of the ground, but a back-pedalling Pat Cummins grabbed the catch at mid-on.
Starc consumed Aiden Markram, while Hazlewood ended the stay of Rassie Van Der Dussen to push SA to deeper peril soon.
South Africa are attempting to reach their first-ever World Cup final, while Australia are gunning for a summit clash berth and their sixth 50-over title.
The winners of this match will face India in the final at Ahmedabad on Sunday.