Australia beat SA but miss out on final

Australia beat South Africa by 33 runs in a one-day match at the WACA on Sunday but missed out on a place in the finals of their annual triangular tournament for only the third time in 23 years.

Steve Waugh's world champions easily won the last pool match of the series but failed to claim the bonus point they needed to get into next week's finals.

Instead, New Zealand and South Africa qualified for the best-of-three finals matches in Melbourne and Sydney.

All three teams finished the round-robin phase with four wins and four losses. South Africa ended up on top with 18 points after collecting two bonus points with Australia and New Zealand tied for second with 17 points.

Although Australia had the best run-rate of any team in the competition, New Zealand advanced to the finals because of their superior head-to-head record against Australia.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was heavily criticised after he ordered his players to allow South Africa to gain a bonus point in their match on Friday to help his own team's chances.

The Australians did at least give themselves every opportunity to claim the bonus point when they amassed 283 for seven from their 50 overs -- the highest score by any team during the tournament.

They needed to restrict the South Africans to 226 or less in reply to get the point but were unable to do so as Jacques Kallis made an unbeaten 104 to steer the Proteas to 250-5.

The Australians signalled their intentions to chase quick runs from the moment they lost the toss and were sent into bat.

Openers Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh gave the team a flying start with 47 runs off the first 10 overs before Gilchrist departed for 31, playing on to Makhaya Ntini.

MAINTAINING ATTACK
Waugh took up the attack after his opening partner left, belting 34 off 35 balls before he was caught behind with the total on 76.

The middle order also got among the runs with Ricky Ponting (26), Damien Martyn (29) and Steve Waugh (42) all getting good starts to help Australia post the highest score by any team in the series.

There was a mini-collapse when Australia lost four for 45 to slump to 195 for seven before Darren Lehmann and Brett Lee steadied the innings with an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 88 from just 64 balls.

Lee hit three sixes and two fours in five balls off Allan Donald to finish on 51 not out, his first international one-day half-century, while Lehmann made an unbeaten 49 from 47 balls after being recalled to the team for the first time this season.

South Africa had beaten Australia just once all summer in both tests and one-dayers and made no secret of the fact they would have preferred to play New Zealand in the finals, a team they had lost to just once.

It was apparent from the moment South Africa started their innings that their target was 226, not 284, and they carefully set about reaching that mark.

Herschelle Gibbs (34), Jonty Rhodes (20) and Boeta Dippenaar (33) helped set the platform before Kallis and Lance Klusener (25 not out) steered them past 226.

All-rounder Kallis, named man of the match, struck six boundaries and a six in 120 balls.

The first match in the best-of-three finals series will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday with the second match to be held in Sydney on Friday.

A third game, if required, will be held in Sydney two days later.

Detailed scorecard | Images

Mail Cricket Editor