South Africa crush Sri Lanka to reach World Cup semi-finals

SYDNEY: Rampant South Africa beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets to reach the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday after the latter collapsed to just 133 all out at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Earlier today during the first innings, off-spinner JP Duminy (3-29) took a hat-trick and leg-spinner Imran Tahir (4-26) claimed four wickets as South Africa, won their first World Cup knockout match, and will now play either New Zealand or West Indies for a place in the March 29 final.

When the dinner break arrived in the quarter-final, South Africa were well-placed on 40-1 despite losing Hashim Amla to a fine running catch at third man by Nuwan Kulasekara off Lasith Malinga.

Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara top-scored with 45 as his record-breaking run of four successive ODI hundreds came to an end.

Together with Lahiru Thirimanne (41) he put on 65 for the third wicket.

But otherwise there was little batting resistance on a good SCG pitch, with Sri Lanka -- the 1996 champions and beaten finalists at the last two World Cups -- losing their last six wickets for just 19 runs.

"I've never got close to a hat-trick so I'm pretty pleased with that performance. There wasn't really a lot of purchase out there so it was mainly about keeping the runs down," said Duminy who dismissed Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and then, at the start of his next over, had Kulasekara caught behind for one and Tharindu Kaushal lbw for a golden duck on his one-day debut.

After Kyle Abbott and Dale Steyn got rid of openers Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan, it was the turn of Pakistan-born spinner Tahir to strike, dismissing Thirimanne and Mahela Jayawardene for just four.

Tahir also got rid of Thisara Perera (0) before wrapping up proceedings with the wicket of Malinga.

Sangakkara, ninth man out, was caught by David Miller at deep third man off fast bowler Morne Morkel for 45 off 96 balls including just three fours.