Eng romp into final

England paceman Stuart Broad, who troubled South Africa with three wickets, celebrates one of the dismissals in the Champions Trophy semifinal at The Oval yesterday. England, 179 for 3, beat South Africa, 175, by 7 wickets to reach the final. PHOTO: AFP

Hosts England cruised into the Champions Trophy final with a seven-wicket win on Wednesday after South Africa once again underlined their reputation as cricket's 'chokers'.
Alastair's Cook men outplayed the Proteas after electing to bowl on an overcast day at the Oval where England had lost to the West Indies in the final of the same event in 2004.
South Africa were reduced to 80-8 by the 23rd over before a record ninth-wicket partnership of 95 between David Miller and Rory Kleinveldt gave the total some respectability.
But Jonathan Trott hit 82 not out and Joe Root made 48 during a 105-run stand to help England surpass the modest target in the 38th over of a disappointing semifinal.
In Sunday's final at Edgbaston, Birmingham, which will be worth 2 million dollars for the champions, England will meet the winners of Thursday's all-Asian semifinal between India and Sri Lanka in Cardiff.
South Africa, the top-ranked Test team and a formidable opponent in world cricket, have struggled to get past the semifinal stage in major one-day tournaments since winning the inaugural version of the Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998.
England lost openers Cook and Ian Bell cheaply to become 41-2, but South Africa-born Trott and Root flayed the attack on a good batting wicket to steer the hosts towards victory.
Root was bowled by JP Duminy for 48 when 30 more were needed in 18 overs, leaving Trott to bring up the emphatic win by driving Robin Peterson to the cover fence.
Earlier, Miller hit an unbeaten 56 and Kleinveldt chipped in with a career-best 43 in South Africa's best one-day partnership for the ninth wicket, surpassing the 65 by Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn against India in Jaipur in 2010.