Proteas battle for supremacy

Unaccustomed and persistent cloud cover played into the Kiwis' hands after Stephen Fleming had unsurprisingly chosen to bowl first, forcing South Africa to battle for every run on the way to 68 for three from 25 overs.

It was a triumph to have overcome even to that degree the alarming disadvantage of losing what seemed likely to be such a significant toss - Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs digging in for a 49-run stand after coming together at three for two in the third over.

In this match which will confirm New Zealand as semi-finalists if they win, the third-wicket pair needed great tenacity and skill to make sure South Africa did not lurch into an irreparable situation.

Ball habitually beat bat through the first 10 overs, the swing available to Shane Bond and James Franklin aided and abetted by a series of light showers which freshened up the pitch for seam movement and occasional steepling bounce.

It was a recipe for exceptionally hazardous batting, and mere survival was a major achievement for Kallis and Gibbs.

They had seen Graeme Smith fail to lay bat on ball in Bond's first over - until he tried to seize on the fifth delivery only to chisel a catch low to cover.

The captain had at least managed to make a run - more than his opening partner AB de Villiers could do, before Franklin's inswing pinned him lbw on the front-foot defence.

Gibbs and Kallis could only hope to come through unscathed and tried nothing approaching an attacking shot until the former cover-drove Bond for the first boundary of the match deep into the 10th over.

Kallis then went from four to 10, from the 36th ball he faced, when he went down the wicket to first change Jacob Oram and planted him into the stand at long-off. Gibbs (34no) repeated the dose, over long-on, when he got to Oram's end - but still the 15-over total was a precarious 34 for two.