5 records that were made during Australia's thrilling win over South Africa in 2023 ODI World Cup semifinal 

Australia scraped through a nervy win to clinch the second semifinal clash against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, November 16. The Pat Cummins-led side have sealed their spot in the summit fixture, where they will collide against India in search of ultimate glory.

Batting first, South Africa had a horrid start to their innings. The Proteas, who hammered runs all through the group stages, were reduced to 24/4 inside 12 overs by the Australian pacers.

Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller then joined forces to bail South Africa out of trouble. The two added 95 runs for the fifth wicket and looked to take on the bowlers after the 25th over.

Travis Head's golden arm cleaned up Klaasen for 47, but Miller continued his crucial knock. He hit five sixes and eight boundaries as the southpaw smashed one of the best hundreds of the tournament.

Miller's fighting 101 off 116 balls enabled the Proteas to reach 212 in the first innings. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins took three wickets each for Australia.

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In reply, Travis Head and David Warner came out with ultra-attacking intent. The two left-handers smoked everything in their path and quickly added 60 runs in six overs before Warner was dismissed by Aiden Markram.

Head reached his half-century before getting bowled by Keshav Maharaj on 62. His dismissal gave South Africa some hope of making a comeback.

Mitchell Marsh (0), Marnus Labuschagne (18), and Glenn Maxwell (1) all perished cheaply before Steve Smith also squandered his 62-ball 30-run effort. The South African spinners turned the ball square, while Gerald Coetzee attacked with his lethal pace in the middle and death overs.

At the end, skipper Cummins (14*) and Starc (16*) held their nerves and guided Australia to their eighth ICC men's ODI World Cup final.

Here are the five significant records that were made during Australia's three-wicket win against South Africa in the penultimate game of the tournament.

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#5 Most wickets in an ODI World Cup campaign for South Africa

Gerald Coetzee pumped up after taking a wicket [Getty Images]

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Gerald Coetzee was one of the brightest spots in the South African 2023 ODI World Cup campaign. His tenacity and tireless high-speed bowling not only caught the eyeballs, but also proved to be extremely proficient for his side.

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Coetzee ended the tournament with 20 wickets at an immaculate average of 19.80 across eight matches. His 20 wickets are now the most by any South African bowler in a single ODI World Cup campaign.

Lance Klusener (1999), Morne Morkel (2015) and Marco Jansen (2023) took 17 wickets in their most successful campaigns.

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#4 First centurion for South Africa in World Cup knockouts

David Miller after his ton vs AUS [Getty Images]

Given their unwanted history in World Cup knockout matches, South Africa have rarely seen commendable performances in the final stages of the quadrennial event.

However, Miller's remarkable century will be remembered for a long time as his 101 runs were worth their weight in gold in the semi-final.

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With his knock, Miller became the first-ever South African player to hit a century in an ODI World Cup knockout game. The previous highest score was set by Faf du Plessis, who scored 82 against New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup semifinal.

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#3 First-ever non-Indian to score 500+ runs in multiple ODI World Cup editions

David Warner playing a cheeky shot vs South Africa [Getty Images]

While David Warner only scored 29 runs, his innings gave a much-needed kick to the Australian chase. Warner batted at a strike rate of 161.11.

During his 29-run knock, Warner completed 500 runs in the ongoing tournament, thus becoming only the third-ever player and the first non-Indian individual to amass 500+ runs in multiple ODI World Cup editions.

Warner, who has scored 528 runs in ten innings at 2023 ODI World Cup, also scored 647 runs at the 2019 ODI World Cup edition.

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#2 First-ever centurion while batting at No. 6 or lower in an ODI World Cup knockout game

David Miller during South Africa v Australia: Semi Final - ICC World Cup 2023 [Getty Images]

At 24/4, South Africa needed a miracle to avoid an embarrassment in the crunch game. They looked out of sorts when David Miller took charge and provided assurance for his side.

The 34-year-old batted with a great mindset and showed nerves of steel at the Eden Gardens.

Miller, who hammered 101 off 116, became the first-ever player to hit a century while batting at No. 6 in an ODI World Cup knockout game (both men's and women's included).

Previously, Alex Blackwell's 90 runs against India in the 2017 women's ODI World Cup semifinal was the highest individual score while batting at No. 6 or below position.

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#1 Lowest-ever victory margin in an ODI World Cup knockout game (by wickets remaining)

Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in jubilation after the win. [Getty Images]

South African bowlers did a fantastic job in making a match out of a modest first-innings total of 212 on Thursday. However, Australia's big-game experience proved to be the deciding factor as the Men in Yellow clinched the game by just three wickets with 16 balls remaining.

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Australia's three-wicket win is now the lowest-ever victory margin in an ODI World Cup knockout encounter (by wickets remaining). There were three different four-wicket wins in ODI World Cup knockout matches previously.

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