Pakistan join India in World Cup semis as Dutch dump South Africa

MELBOURNE : Pakistan joined India in the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals on Sunday after South Africa crashed out of the tournament after a stunning defeat by the Netherlands.

Pakistan, who beat Bangladesh by five wickets at Adelaide Oval to advance, will meet New Zealand in the first semi-final in Sydney on Wednesday and India take on England a day later in Adelaide.

The final day of Group 2 action started with a bang as the brave Netherlands stormed to a 13-run win over Temba Bavuma's shell-shocked team, breathing new life into Pakistan's semi-final hopes.

It ended with India finishing top of the group and soaking up the cheers of a crowd of 82,507 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a 71-run demolition of Zimbabwe.

Babar Azam's Pakistan may celebrate the hardest among Sunday's winners, though, as the only team to reach the last four with two defeats.

For that they can thank the Netherlands, a bit-part player in global cricket who had to grind through the qualifying phase to reach the Super 12's.

Their top four batters all made runs, South Africa-born man-of-the-match Colin Ackermann chipping in an unbeaten 41 to power the Netherlands to 158 for four after they were put in to bat.

Other former South Africans hastened the Proteas' downfall, with Johannesburg-born paceman Brandon Glover taking 3-9 in a two-over burst to scythe through the middle order.

Former South Africa all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe took arguably the catch of the tournament to remove the dangerous David Miller for 17, scrambling back from short fine leg to snaffle the ball as he tumbled to the grass.

From there the Proteas crumbled to finish 145 for eight, blowing another chance to shed their long-held reputation as World Cup "chokers".

"We've got ourselves