South Africa Win, JP Duminy Stars and More from the 1st Quarter-Final

South Africa became the first nation through to the semi-finals of the World Cup after they eased to a nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Sydney.

The Proteas claimed their first knockout win in the history of the tournament at the SCG.

Imran Tahir claimed four for 26 while fellow slow bowler JP Duminy became the first South African to take a hat-trick in a World Cup fixture.

The duo’s efforts helped see Sri Lanka bowled out for 133 in 37.2 overs, a real disappointment for Angelo Mathews’ side after they had won the toss and opted to bat first in the day-night fixture.

South Africa had no problems in their run chase, Quinton de Kock making an unbeaten 78 from 57 balls as the target was reached with 192 balls to spare. 

Delivery of the day

While it was the spinners who did the majority of the damage for South Africa, Kyle Abbott and Dale Steyn both claimed crucial early wickets.

Abbott had already managed to get Kusal Perera caught behind by the time Steyn produced a cracking delivery to dismiss the dangerous Tillakaratne Dilshan.

A delivery that moved away in the air tempted the batsman to go for a drive, though instead of finding the middle of the bat it hit the outside edge.

Faf du Plessis made sure Dilshan didn’t escape for his error, taking a low catch down to his right at second slip.

As you can see, Steyn was rather pleased with the dismissal:

Shot of the day

While the World Cup has seen plenty of runs (South Africa have amassed totals of over 400 twice in the competition this year), the first quarter-final did not see one six hit by either nation.

Sri Lanka only managed to find the boundary nine times in their innings, Lahiru Thirimanne hitting five of them during his innings of 41.

De Kock managed to find the rope on more occasions than the entire Sri Lanka team combined, his unbeaten knock including 12 fours.

There were some lovely, crunching cover drives, but perhaps the best of the lot for every South African fan was the boundary the left-hander struck to clinch that long-awaited maiden triumph in the knockout stages.

Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Catch of the day

Du Plessis’ effort to remove Dilshan was impressive, but De Kock’s grab to complete the dismissal of opener Perera was the pick of the catches taken on Wednesday.

The wicketkeeper dived low to his left to cling on to a thick edge, albeit needing two attempts to secure the ball in his glove.

The wicket was the perfect start for South Africa, particularly after they had been sent into the field after losing the toss.

End of the road

Defeat for Sri Lanka did not just end their hopes of lifting the trophy for a second time. 

The loss also means it is the end of the line for Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in one-day cricket.

The two legends of the international game will be sorely missed and not just by Sri Lankan fans.

While Jayawardene will not play again for his country, Sangakkara is set to continue playing Tests for a little while longer yet, per ESPN Cricinfo.

Stat of the day

Next up at the World Cup

Thursday’s action comes from the MCG in Melbourne, Australia, as India face Bangladesh in the second quarter-final.

Bangladesh defeated England to claim the final qualifying berth in Group A, while India—the reigning champions—finished on top of Group B with a perfect record of six wins from six matches.