First Blood to Australia.

Headingley - Australia had to win this game to qualify, and win they did, in spectacular fashion with two balls to spare. Steve Waugh led from the front with a magnificent hundred and set up a re-match in the semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday. The win also meant that Zimbabwe will have to pack their bags, winless throughout the Super Six stage of the tournament.

Winning the toss and deciding to bat, South Africa went into the match without Jacques Kallis who had a slight stomach muscle twinge, while Australia left out Darren Lehmann with an injured finger. His place was taken by Damien Martyn.

McGrath, starting from the Kirkstall Lane End was on the spot from the first ball, generating some lively pace and bounce. Gary Kirsten opened the scoring with a little tuck off his legs to the on side. South Africa progressed steadily and Kirsten notched up the first boundary of the day in the sixth over, smacking a Fleming delivery through the covers. In the next over another drive off the blade of the bat was well stopped by Paul Reiffel, but in doing so he injured his right thumb and had to leave the field.

As they had done against New Zealand, the South African openers were content to work the ball around, and take advantage of the odd loose ball. Kirsten however looked out of sorts and his timing was awry, but Gibbs punished anything loose on either side taking eight off Fleming's fifth over.

Kirsten's luck would not hold and, after his third edge past Mark Waugh at second slip, was induced into another false shot outside off and was caught by Ricky Ponting at backward point for 21 off 46 balls including three fours.

When Cullinan came in Warne, his nemesis, took over from Reiffel. His first ball was a full toss on the legs and had Cullinan popping a push towards midwicket where the diving Ponting just failed to get his hand under it. At the end of the 18th over Cullinan was again lucky. He stroked an uppish on-drive off Fleming and was dropped by Julian diving to his right at mid-on.

Cullinan made the most of his let off and first lofted Tom Moody over long on for six and then cracked a classy cover drive to the extra cover fence. The South African run rate began to climb, 50 runs being added between the 10th and 20th overs.

Gibbs got in on the act too and pulled Bevan for four in his first over, and then nudged him past a short third man for another boundary. The 50 partnership came up in the space of nine overs and the hundred off the first ball of the 24th over.

McGrath replaced Bevan but could not put a halt to Gibbs' rapid scoring Gibbs reached his 50 with a very lucky inside edge, beating the leg stump and a diving Adam Gilchrist as it sped to the fine leg fence. McGrath extended his follow-through to "congratulate" him with a few choice words. Cullinan looked to have buried his fear of Warne when he too reached his 50, pushing the Aussie spin genius to long off. But the next ball he received from Warne had him swinging across the line and missing, and he was bowled.

In came captain Hansie Cronje, and three balls later he was walking back, also playing across the line to Warne: out lbw without scoring.

New batsman Jonty Rhodes and Gibbs then put on a show of magnificent running between the wickets, taking twos where others would have taken one, and ones where they simply didn’t exist. In the 38th over they also found the aerial route when Gibbs and then Rhodes sent Reiffel for sixes over long off and square leg.

Moody was the next bowler to be attacked. Gibbs turned him to deep midwicket to bring up his 100 in 131 balls, including 10 fours and one six ,and then Rhodes sent him for a straight six high into the sightscreen.

Finally Gibbs met his end in the 45th over when he tried to work McGrath to the leg side, played round the ball and was bowled for 101. With an over needed from someone, Bevan was brought back to bowl to Lance Klusener who rocked back for the second ball and sent it one bounce into the sign boards at deep midwicket. The next delivery was a repeat performance but a man had been posted on the fence to cut off the four. McGrath, bowling a little nervously to the big-hitting South African, was dispatched with a crunching drive through to the off-side fence, and to long on with a mistimed one-bounce lofted four.

Fleming bowling his second-last over nearly had Rhodes run out but he missed the ball, with Rhodes diving to make his ground as he completely demolished the stumps sliding across the crease. Two balls later Rhodes was on his way for 39 in 36 balls when he mistimed a shot to the leg side and Mark Waugh took an easy chest high catch at wide midwicket.

Fleming had to bowl the last over. He opened with a wide and the next ball went sailing over long off for six; then came two singles, followed by a slashing off-drive through the covers, then came joy for Fleming as Warne running backwards took a great catch to dismiss Klusener for 36 off 21 balls. Fleming ended the innings when he bowled Pollock without any addition to the score.

Needing 272 to win, Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist both scored singles off Pollock's first over but it was Gilchrist who cut Elworthy to the square fence for Australia's first boundary. After popping a ball up into the gap on the leg side Gilchrist played over the next ball, one that hardly got up more than ankle height, and was bowled for 5.

Ricky Ponting came to the crease and pulled Pollock for a very good four backward of square. He was very lucky when in the sixth over he attempted to pull Elworthy, only to see a top edge landing just short of Pollock at midwicket. Next ball he pushed to Nicky Boje at mid-on, set off on a run, and had Mark Waugh well run out at the keeper's end. Elworthy had not learnt much from his previous short ball to Ponting which had been sent well over the long-leg boundary, and fed him another in the 10th over which got the same maximum treatment, this time over backward square leg.

But another short ball surprised Martyn who, attempting to pull was too late on the shot, and spooned a catch to Boje at wide mid-on to be out for 11 off 20 balls.

Alan Donald and Klusener came on in the 13th and 16th overs respectively, and there was a marked decrease in the run rate. Donald moved the ball off the seam and beat Ponting with one that cut back sharply, nicking the pad and just shaving the top of the leg stump.

Steve Waugh decided to take on Klusener straight and drove him for a succession of fours before playing a great cut off Donald, sending the ball racing past a helpless Rhodes and beating a very square deep point. The next ball was straight driven and only great fielding by Nicky Boje stopped the ball from crossing the boundary rope.

First Cronje and then Boje, sharing the fifth-bowler spot, got the same treatment as Klusener had. The 50 partnership, as well as the 100, came up in the 26th over as Cronje gave away 12 runs and Australia slowly but surely pulled themselves back into the match.

Boje was simply hit out of the attack; Waugh took a six over square leg, then both he and Ponting scored fours and belted 17 runs off a single over. Ponting reached his 50 off 88 balls including four fours and two sixes. Waugh was still not finished, getting four more from a classic cover drive off Pollock who had replaced Cronje, and reached his 50 in 47 balls with five fours and one six.

The hundred partnership came up in the 30th over, and the last 50 runs had come off only 28 balls.

Klusener came back on and had Waugh lob a ball right into the hands of Gibbs at midwicket who, in trying his old trick of throwing the ball over his shoulder before really having it under control, spilled what should have been a regulation catch. He tried the same trick against the West Indies at Durban, and has hopefully now learnt his lesson.

Klusener at last got the vital break-through that the South Africans wanted. Ponting, trying to go over the top, got a leading edge to Donald at wide mid-on and was caught for 69 off 110 balls.

What a time though to have a player of Bevan's quality come in to join Waugh. The crowd did not have to wait too long for his first boundary, a slashing cut to the backward point boundary off Cronje.

Donald came back in the 39th over and helped to stem the tide of boundaries, but could not do anything to stop the 200 from coming up. At the other end Elworthy, who replaced Cronje, bowling round the wicket to Bevan helped to keep the run rate required at slightly above 6 runs per over.

Waugh had had enough of the singles and Elworthy, bowling a slower ball in his last over, stood aghast as the slog sweep sent the ball soaring over the midwicket fence. In the next over Waugh completed a magnificent 100 with a gentle push for two wide of long on. The hundred came off 91 balls, including 10 fours and 2 sixes.

Just after reaching his hundred Waugh nearly gave his wicket away when he tried to flick Cronje fine to the leg side sending it high in the air towards backward square leg. Klusener whose catch it should have been, stood back and watched Boucher running 30 meters only to get nowhere near the ball.

So into the last five overs. Cronje was obliged to bowl one of them. Bevan sent his second ball over the top for a four to long off, and then chipped the fourth to Cullinan at midwicket with 25 needed for victory.

Now it was Donald and Pollock against Waugh and Moody. Moody drew first blood with a flick off his hips for four to the backward square-leg fence. Donald and Pollock won round two with only ones and a few twos up for offer. In the penultimate over Donald ran in and started with a wide, and was lucky not to be called for a no-ball in bowling a ball that was well above Waugh's shoulders, but still managed to give away only six runs away. The last over was a face off between Pollock and Moody. Two off the first ball, and then a square drive to deep backward point for four had the Australian team jumping up and down on the balcony. The Aussies scampered through for a single off the third and the scores were tied, before an edge past Boucher secured the win by 5 wickets.