Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 1999 World Cup by a comfortable margin of 9 wickets. New Zealand, who had opted to bat first, could only manage a modest 241. Shoaib Akhtar bowled intelligently and registered figures of 10-0-55-3, which included crucial wickets of Nathan Astle, Stephen Fleming and Chris Harris. The Asian team confidently chased down the total in 48 overs, on back of a brilliant unbeaten ton from Saeed Anwar.
Termed as one of the greatest matches ever in the history of cricket - the second semi-final of the 1999 World Cup between Australia and South Africa was full of drama and excitement. A fantastic five-for from Shaun Pollock had restricted Australia to 213, a score they were able to reach due to the combined brilliance of Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan. Kallis' masterclass resurrected South Africa after Shane Warne's aggression but the fateful run-out of Allan Donald, who failed to respond to Lance resulted into an unlikely tie. A superior net run-rate in the Super Six stage meant that Australia progressed to the final, crushing South Africa's hopes.
