Grant Elliott smashed a six from the penultimate ball of the match to deny the country of his birth and take co-hosts New Zealand into their first World Cup final thanks to a thrilling four-wicket Duckworth/Lewis victory over South Africa at a rousing Eden Park in Auckland.
With 12 runs required from the final over and then five from the last two balls, Johannesburg-born Elliott carted an injured Dale Steyn over long-on for a maximum that ensured the Black Caps chased a revised target of 298 in 43 overs following rain.
Brendon McCullum’s brutal 26-ball 59 set up the chase before Elliott and half-centurion Corey Anderson shared a fifth-wicket stand of 103.
Anderson became Morne Morkel’s third victim in the 38th over with 46 runs still needed, but Elliott took on the responsibility and denied the Proteas a first appearance in a 50-over showpiece with an unbeaten 84 from 73 deliveries.
South Africa won the toss and recovered from the early loss of both openers to Trent Boult to post 281 for five courtesy of 82 from Faf du Plessis, an unbeaten 65 from AB de Villiers and David Miller’s aggressive 18-ball 49.
Man-of-the-match Elliott, a NatWest T20 Blast signing for Leicestershire Foxes this season, said: "I don't think this win is for myself or the team, but everyone here. The supporters have been amazing.
“We wanted to take it as deep as we could. I think we timed the pace of the innings to perfection. (I was) not as calm as I looked. When you have 45,000 fans screaming at you every ball... It has been an absolute pleasure playing in front of this crowd.
“Nothing was going in my mind when I hit the six. I don't even know where the ball went."
New Zealand will be aiming for a ninth consecutive tournament victory in Sunday’s final, against either India or Australia.
They started in emphatic fashion as Boult took his wicket tally to 21, moving past Geoff Allott’s record for the most by a New Zealander in a single World Cup, by dismissing Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock.
Therefore du Plessis and Rilee Rossouw had to be patient, rebuilding the innings with a stand of 83 in 18.2 overs until the latter hit Anderson to point for 37.
De Villiers strode to the crease and upped the ante, though, blasting eight fours and a maximum as he contributed 61 of his 45-ball 65 during a 103-run fourth-wicket alliance with du Plessis that spanned 12.1 overs.
After rain halted play for two hours, with the score on 218 for three, du Plessis edged Anderson behind.
But Miller helped his side take 55 from four overs with six fours and three maximums before falling short of equalling McCullum’s record for the fastest fifty, off 18 balls, against England.
15 - Brendon McCullum's 59 came from 15 scoring shots. Carnage. #CWC15pic.twitter.com/6t39vgOBLX
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) March 24, 2015
McCullum dashed South Africa’s confidence by producing one of his trademark assaults, hitting eight fours and four maximums until he was cramped for room by Morkel and held at mid-on in the seventh over.
Kane Williamson played on to Morkel for six and when Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor departed for thirties, the game seemed to be heading in the Proteas’ favour.
However, Elliott and Anderson came together and ensured New Zealand kept up with the run-rate with composed knocks.
Anderson should have been run out on 33, de Villiers missing the chance following a poor throw from Rossouw, and almost had another stroke of luck when he was eventually dismissed for 58, his top-edge off Morkel close to hitting the Spidercam wires which would have deemed it a dead ball.
When Luke Ronchi holed out into the deep off Steyn, New Zealand required 29 from 17 balls.
Yet Elliott, dropped from the final ball of the penultimate over when Farhaan Behardien and JP Duminy collided at deep square-leg, and Daniel Vettori kept cool heads.
In the final set of six Elliott scampered a bye and then took a single before Vettori collected five off two to leave the 35-year-old to smack the winning runs in style off Steyn, struggling with an apparent calf problem that required treatment, to spark jubilant scenes.
A devastated de Villiers said: "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.”
7 - New Zealand are the seventh different team to reach a Cricket World Cup final. History. @BLACKCAPS #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/IjWsp8dbIN
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) March 24, 2015