Optimism for England as failings haunt Smith

It dawned humidly with rain in the air in St George's yesterday. When the coin came down in Stephen Fleming's favour at the toss, the smile on his face could have been seen all the way across the Grenadan capital's handsome and ancient harbour. What the New Zealand captain could see was a World Cup semi-final place.

He had no hesitation in deciding to field first. Before long, the ball was bending like a limbo dancer and shortly after that South Africa were 3 for 2 with a monumental struggle for recovery on their hands. It was utterly beyond the players who were adjudged a week earlier to be the No 1 limited-overs side in the world. A week is a long time in one-day cricket.

There were moments when it looked as though South Africa might edge back into it, but a succession of soft dismissals left their total looking hopelessly inept. They then put down three crucial, straightforward catches that might have instilled doubt into Kiwi minds. It is eight years since South Africa purportedly dropped the World Cup, when Herschelle Gibbs infamously reprieved Steve Waugh at Headingley in 1999, opening the way for Australia's long sequence of World Cup wins. But perhaps that sort of thing never leaves you.

Thereafter it was elementary, if uneven. Fleming, shelled twice on 34 and 46, was finally caught behind for 50 from 84 balls. The omnipresent Scott Styris, himself dropped at square leg when only four, went on to 56 and New Zealand, winning by five wickets with 10 balls left, were through to the last four. There they join Australia, and because of yesterday's result, will be accompanied by Sri Lanka.

Styris, whose fifth half-century in seven innings in the tournament this was, epitomises the way in which New Zealand have prepared systematically for this World Cup, all but completely ignoring Test cricket. New Zealand have played a mere eight Tests in the past 18 months, England have played 18. They have concentrated almost everything on one objective and look where it has taken them.

Given the opportunity to bowl in favourable conditions yesterday, they did not waste them. The ball moved alarmingly and Graeme Smith's dismissal after facing only 12 balls represented a merciful release as he was beaten by four of them. AB de Villiers, who had scored a pulsating 146 four days earlier, registered his fourth duck in eight innings in the tournament. This beat the record held jointly by seven other players who had failed to score three times in previous tournaments.

If Gibbs almost effected a revival, he got out at an important stage, the first of an improbable three victims for Craig McMillan, and New Zealand were able to pace their reply accordingly. The fourth semi-final place is nominally between South Africa, England and, just, West Indies, none hardly deserving. The manner in which South Africa played yesterday will give England abundant cause for hope.

Win on Tuesday and England will be through - unless West Indies were to hammer both Bangladesh and then England to squeeze into the final quartet on net run-rate. It would further reduce the tournament to the realms of risibility if after 48 matches the NRR device had to be used. None the less, it makes more mysterious Smith's decision to bowl five overs himself the other day against West Indies rather than nail the match. He yielded 56 runs and his side's NRR was knocked further into a cocked hat.

If the fourth side in the Super Eights then went on to win the ninth World Cup it would be a testimony to the organisers' creed that nobody should be eliminated unless they truly muck it up. England and South Africa have already each lost three games (as did Pakistan in the 1992 competition). But South Africa suddenly look vulnerable and England will know it.

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