As it happened: Proteas go down at the death!

QUOTES

AB de Villiers, SA skipper: "Amazing game of cricket. Probably the most electric crowd I have ever heard in my life. I guess the best team has come out on top. We gave it our best. No regrets. We left it all out there. It is hurting. It is going to take a while to recover.

"Worst of all is we don't play for ourselves. The bigger picture is for the people back home. We play for them. I hope they can still be proud of us.

"There have been great performances. I felt we had a wonderful thing going. Had a great feeling. Don't want to single out any performance. To the teams in the final, all the best."

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum: "Pretty amazing. South Africa gave as good as they got all day. Great advertisement for cricket. Everybody involved will remember this for the rest of their lives. Keep raining is what I thought when AB was going. Two very destructive batsmen.

"The way we kept giving it in the field, the way we bowled, we did good. Even with the bat. We wanted to hang in till the end. What a great innings from Grant. He came out of wilderness not long ago.

"We had to generate some sort of run-rate early, that is what we tried to go. Credit to South Africa the way they played tonight and throughout the tournament. The greatest time of our lives. We have enjoyed the experience.

"The crowds that have turned, the brand of cricket we have tried to play. Hope the crowds are all dreaming the way we are. gee it would be nice to win it. We don't mind whom we face in the final.

"They are both quality sides, but we know if we play the way we want to we are a good chance. Really proud to represent New Zealand."

Thanks for tuning in!

New Zealand now go through to Sunday's final at the MCG in Melbourne (05:30 SA time). They will face the winner of Thursday's second semi-final between Australia and India at the SCG in Sydney.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH

Grant Elliott, for scoring 84 not out off 73 balls, has received the best player award.

Vettorri misses, and again they go through for a single.

5 runs to win off 2 balls. Essentially, the Kiwis need 4 runs...

A full toss from Steyn, but Elliott can only get a single.

10 needed off 4 balls.

Vettori plays and misses, but they get through for a run.

11 needed off 5 balls.

Can you believe it?! Elliott skies one and is dropped in the deep! And that because two SA players ran into each other!

JP Duminy ran straight into substitute Farhaan Behardien, who had it covered.

Ronchi is out for 8, caught on the deep square leg boundary by Rossouw off the bowling of Steyn.

New Zealand 269/6 after 40.1 overs.