CHITTAGONG: South Africa produced another clinical performance to beat England by three runs in Chittagong to advance to the World Twenty20 semi-finals on Saturday.

AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla hit half-centuries to anchor South Africa’s highest total of the tournament of 196-5 before Wayne Parnell took 3-31 to keep England down to 193-7 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium.

South Africa are the second team to qualify for the semis after 2007 champions India cruised to the last four from Group Two.

The defeat — second in three Group One Super-10 matches — sent 2010 champions England out of the semifinal race.

Sri Lanka meet New Zealand in their last Group One match on Monday and the winners will join South Africa in the last four.

Pakistan meet Bangladesh in a Group Two match in Dhaka on Sunday and if the 2009 champions beat the hosts their last match against title holders the West Indies will decide the last semi-final berth.

England, who chased down a 190-run target against Sri Lanka on Thursday, failed to match that performance with Alex Hales (38), Jos Buttler (34) and Ravi Bopara (31) unable to benefit from good starts.

Parnell, who was released from the squad for two days to attend a court hearing relating to drug charges in the 2012 Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Friday, dismissed Michael Lumb (18), Hales and Moeen Ali (10) to jolt England after they were off to a 46-run start by the fifth over.

Hales hit six boundaries and a six off 22 balls but once he departed the target continued to climb on England with 45 needed off the last three overs and 22 off Dale Steyn’s final over.

South Africa’s total was built around a swashbuckling 28-ball 69 not out by De Villiers and a 37-ball 56 by Amla.

De Villiers was ruthless in the final overs, taking 26 off Jade Dernbach’s 18th over and reached his fifty with a towering six off just 23 balls.

In all he hit nine boundaries and three sixes to help South Africa during an innings stopped twice for floodlight failure.

South Africa smashed 75 in the last five overs.

Amla and Quinton de Kock (29) helped South Africa to 90 without loss in the 11th over with the former in a punishing mood.

The bearded Amla hit six boundaries and two sixes before he was caught at deep mid-wicket off Stuart Broad.

South Africa made two changes from the line-up which beat the Netherlands in their last game, with Farhan Behardien and Parnell in for regular skipper Faf Du Plessis — suspended for one match due to a slow over-rate — and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

New Zealand routs Netherlands

Brendon McCullum hit a robust half-century to steer New Zealand to a comprehensive six-wicket win over the Netherlands in Chittagong on Saturday.

McCullum hit a punishing 45-ball 65 with three sixes and four boundaries to make easy work of a 152-run target, which New Zealand chased down in 19 overs.

McCullum also became the first man to reach 2,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket when he cleared 21 in his 67th match.

The victory gives New Zealand their second win in three games while the Netherlands, the only associate side to qualify for the second round, crashed out of the event with three defeats in as many games.

McCullum added 42 for the second wicket with Kane Williamson (29) and another 46 for the fourth wicket with Corey Anderson who made an unbeaten 20.

McCullum holed out in the 17th over off paceman Timm van der Gugten who took 3-30 in his four overs.

But there was no support from any other Dutch bowler as New Zealand’s strong batting line-up was too good for them.

“Definitely, Netherlands put up a really good fight,” said man-of-the-match McCullum.

“There was a lot of talk about their game against Sri Lanka (Netherlands out for 39), but we had a lot of respect for them and we were focused.” The losing captain Peter Borren said McCullum made the chase easy.

“Brendon got them through, but if we’d got him early something could have happened.” Earlier Borren made 49 and Tom Cooper an unbeaten 40 during their 60-run fourth wicket stand off just 35 balls to steer their team to 151-4 in 20 overs.

Borren hit seven boundaries and a six off 35 balls to improve on his previous best T20 score of 38 not out made against Afghanistan at Sharjah last year.

Cooper knocked two sixes and four boundaries off 23 balls to help his team add 43 in the last five overs.

The Netherlands were off to a steady 34-run start with opener Stephan Myburgh hitting a boundary and a six before he holed out to paceman Trent Boult, who replaced Tim Southee in the team.

New Zealand also brought in all-rounder Jimmy Neesham for Colin Munro from the line-up, which beat England on Saturday.

Michael Swart made a run-a-ball 26.

SCOREBOARD

South Africa innings:

H. Amla c Hales b Broad 56

Q. de Kock st Buttler b Tredwell 29

AB de Villiers not out 69

JP Duminy run out 5

D. Miller c Ali b Jordan 19

A. Morkel b Bresnan 3

Extras: (b4, lb2, nb1, w8) 15

Total: (for five wkts; 20 overs) 196

Fall of wkts: 1-90, 2-98, 3-120, 4-174, 5-196.

Bowling: Ali 2-0-17-0 (1w), Dernbach 3-0-44-0 (1nb, 3w), Bresnan 3-0-28-1, Jordan 3-0-30-1 (3w), Tredwell 3-0-25-1, Broad 4-0-33-1, Bopara 2-0-13-0 (1w).

England innings:

M. Lumb c Miller b Parnell 18

A. Hales c Miller b Parnell 38

Moeen Ali c de Kock b Parnell 10

E. Morgan c de Kock b Tahir 14

J. Buttler c Morkel b Tahir 34

R. Bopara c Miller b Steyn 31

C. Jordan c de Villiers b Hendricks 16

T. Bresnan not out 17

S. Broad not out 1

Extras: 14

Total: (for 7 wkts; 20 overs) 193

Fall of wkts: 1-46, 2-73, 3-73, 4-105, 5-131, 6-167, 7-175.

Bowling: Duminy 2-0-18-0 (1w), Morkel 2-0-19-0 (1nb, 1w), Hendricks 4-0-50-1 (2w), Steyn 4-0-44-1, Parnell 4-0-31-3 (3w), Tahir 4-0-27-2.