Black Caps are desperate to have final date

Tomorrow’s semi-final against the Proteas is already being billed as a battle of the big-hitters with Martin Guptill, fresh from smashing a new record World Cup score of 237, going up against AB de Villiers, who recently hit the fastest 150 in one-day internationals.

First and foremost, though, the Eden Park showdown is about earning a chance to finally procure silverware for two sides who have never won the competition.

“It’s a one-off game and we’re all desperate to get to the party,” said Hesson.

“I’m sure we’ll both turn up and there’s two sides that are playing good cricket. We’re in a World Cup semi-final and we deserve to be there with the way we’ve played. It’s an opportunity for us to put on another good show and that’s what we’ll be focused on.”

South Africa middle-order batsman and former Yorkshire T20 specialist David Miller, feels the Proteas are well-equipped having played in Auckland previously

“It’s good to have already played a game here to get a feel of the ground,” he said. “The dimensions of the field are really straight and short, long on the square boundaries, so it’s something to get used to.”