A masterful David Warner century has given Australia a slim chance of defeating South Africa at the Cricket World Cup.
Chasing 326 for victory on Sunday morning (AEST), Australia was 4-119 –effectively 5-119 given Usman Khawaja’s injury-enforced retirement – and looked no chance.
But Warner batted superbly at Old Trafford, hitting 122 as his third century of the tournament brought Australia back into the contest.
Alex Carey (83) was still at the crease at 5.47am (AEST), when Australia was 5-269 after 44 overs.
If Australia win, it will play New Zealand in a semi-final that begins on Tuesday, but defeat will set up a meeting with England on Thursday.
South Africa, with no chance of making the semi-finals, set Australia an imposing chase, as Faf du Plessis hit 100 in a score of 6-325.
Mitchell Starc (2-59) was far from his best, but his two wickets saw him equal Glenn McGrath (26) as the highest Australian wicket-taker in one World Cup tournament.
Starc (knee) was one of three Australia players to battle injury, too, as Khawaja was forced to retire hurt with a hamstring problem. Marcus Stoinis also appeared to battle with a side strain during his innings and bowled just three overs.
The injuries are coming at the wrong time for Australia, with Shaun Marsh ruled out of the tournament after fracturing his arm in a Thursday training session.
Australia should have lost a wicket just three balls into its chase, but a throw to the wrong end cost South Africa a likely run out.
Captain Aaron Finch spooned a catch to Aidan Markram in the third over, though, falling for just three to Imran Tahir in his last one-day international.
Khawaja twice called for the physio and was forced to call it quits just five balls into his innings and then, after another near run-out, Steve Smith (7) was trapped lbw by Dwaine Pretorius.
Stoinis did not score from the first 13 deliveries he faced, heaping the pressure on Warner, but the left-hander produced boundaries at regular intervals to keep Australia in the hunt.
Stoinis was then run out for 22 before a brilliant Quinton de Kock catch saw Glenn Maxwell caught behind for 12.
Warner and Carey changed the course of the game with a 108-run partnership in just 15 overs but just as Australia started to dream about a tremendous backs-to-the-wall victory, Warner – who hit 15 fours and two sixes – was superbly caught by Chris Morris.
Carey stepped up in Warner’s absence, though, and with him at the crease, Australia can still win.
Earlier, Markram (34) and de Kock (52) gave South Africa a brilliant start.
The pair added 73 runs in the first 10 overs, targeting the Australia attack no matter who was the bowler.
Markram set the tone with two fours in the first over from Starc and after racing to 32, he was dropped by Jason Behrendorff (1-55) off his own bowling.
It did not cost Australia, though, Markram falling shortly after he was stumped by Carey off the bowling of Lyon.
Lyon (2-53) was clearly Australia’s best bowler and he added the scalp of De Kock when he picked out Starc at backward point.
But that brought Du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen (95) together and they combined for a 151-run partnership that set the platform for South Africa’s big score.
Van der Dussen could have been stumped on five, but Carey misread a Maxwell (0-57) delivery, and the batsman made Australia pay.
He really stepped up once du Plessis fell in the same over he reached his 12th one-day international century, slogging hard in the final overs before falling five runs short of a hundred when he holed out to Maxwell off the very last ball of the innings.
Starc chipped in with two late wickets but South Africa already had a big score on the board.
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