United Arab Emirates v South Africa

At Wellington (Westpac Stadium), March 12, 2015 (day/night). South Africa won by 146 runs. Toss: United Arab Emirates.
There was plenty to admire - but little by way of suspense. The UAE were organised, determined, and unsurprisingly outclassed. Mohammad Naveed and Kamran Shazad were tidy with the new balls, while Mohammad Tauqir's off-spin proved awkward to get away. That was as good as it got, though it was a credit to the UAE bowlers that de Villiers faced as many as 82 deliveries for his 99 - only the third such score in the World Cup, after Adam Gilchrist in 2003 and J-P. Duminy in 2011 - before slapping Shazad to backward point. Miller also struggled for rhythm, with 49 from 48. "I don't see them scoring 400 against us," Tauqir had said before the match, and he was right; still, 341 was always going to be too many. It was unfortunate for the UAE's amateur batsmen that Morkel chose this match to produce his fastest, meanest performance of the tournament. He posed a constant physical threat: Khurram Khan and Tauqir - both 43 years old - were struck, and there were several further body blows. Amid the artillery Swapnil Patel displayed quick feet and a faultless technique to remain unbeaten on 57, although it took him 100 balls. Shaiman Anwar's 39 lifted his tournament tally to 309, two more than the previous record by an Associate batsman in a World Cup, set by Ryan ten Doeschate of the Netherlands in 2011. NEIL MANTHORP
Man of the Match: A. B. de Villiers.