Summary South Africa advanced into the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy on superior net run-rate.
CARDIFF (AP) - South Africa squeezed into the semifinals of the Champions Trophy and eliminated West Indies after their make-or-break Group B match finished as a tie on the Duckworth/Lewis method when rain brought an early end to play.
Needing a victory to go through, the West Indies were on target to win as they chased 231 off a maximum 31 overs when Kieron Pollard was caught in the deep to put the team on 190-6 after 26.1 overs. With the rain coming down harder, the umpires immediately took the players off and the match was later abandoned, leaving West Indies agonizingly short.
The teams shared a point from the match but South Africa has a superior net run rate over the three games and progresses to the last four with group winner India.
Had Pollard stroked a single instead of getting himself out, West Indies would have still been in a tournament they won on English soil in 2004 because they were ahead of the D/L par score for five wickets down. Instead, he holed out to Dale Steyn off Ryan McLaren s short ball and his team crashed out.
Chris Gayle (36 off 27 balls) and Marlon Samuels (48 off 38 balls) led West Indies charge in attempting to keep up with a required run rate of nearly 7.5 an over.
Steyn, back from a side strain, took 2-33 in six overs.
Earlier, opener Colin Ingram top-scored for South Africa with 73 after the start had been delayed at Sophia Gardens because of steady rain. He moved to a half-century off just 46 deliveries.
AB de Villiers, the world s top-ranked ODI batsmen, weighed in with 37 and David Miller made 38 off 29 balls in a late salvo that included three sixes.
