CENTURION (Reuters)-England beat South Africa by 22 runs at Centurion to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy and send the hosts crashing out of the tournament.

Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan blazed half-centuries as England piled up 323 for eight, their highest ever total against South Africa.

South Africa, despite captain Graeme Smith’s career-best 141, could only manage 301 for nine in reply.

Shah and Collingwood inflicted enormous destruction on a home attack that could not stick to a length as they plundered 163 runs off 162 balls in a record third-wicket stand for England against South Africa.

Shah went over the boundary six times in his 98 off 89 balls, while Collingwood showed wonderful placement and composure in cruising to 82 off 94 deliveries.

Morgan finished the innings in style as he took advantage of woeful death bowling to wallop four fours and five sixes in his 67 off 34 balls.

Wayne Parnell, South Africa’s youngest bowler, was their best, taking three for 60 in 10 overs.

South Africa were unable to compile a telling partnership despite Smith’s fine innings and they went into the last 10 overs needing 94 runs to win with six wickets in hand.

Big-hitter Albie Morkel netted a six and a four off successive deliveries in his 17 off 14 balls, but, with debate raging as to whether England captain Andrew Strauss should allow a limping Smith a runner, Morkel ran himself out attempting a bye to stand-in wicketkeeper Morgan.

Strauss’s decision to call on off-spinner Graeme Swann to bowl three overs in the closing stages paid off as he conceded just 10 runs and bowled the JP Duminy for 24.

James Anderson finished with three for 42 as South Africa slid to defeat and England, crushed 6-1 by Australia recently, reached the semi-finals.

AB de Villiers (36) and Herschelle Gibbs (22) made promising starts but failed to master the conditions or England’s attack.

ENGLAND Innings
*A Strauss c wkp Boucher b Parnell 25
J Denly c Duminy b Kallis 21
O Shah c wkp Boucher b Botha 98
P Collingwood b Parnell 82
+E Morgan c Smith b Steyn 67
L Wright run out (Parnell) 8
R Bopara c Morkel b Botha 1
S Broad b Parnell 0
G Swann not out 8
J Anderson not out 2

Extras (b1, lb4, w5, nb1) 11

TOTAL (8 wickets – 50 overs) 323

Did not bat: G Onions 

Fall of wickets: 1-48 (Denly, 9.6 overs), 2-59 (Strauss, 12.1), 3-222 (Shah, 38.2), 4-262 (Collingwood, 43.1), 5-291 (Wright, 45.6), 6-295 (Bopara, 46.4), 7-297 (Broad, 47.2), 8-320 (Morgan, 49.2)

Bowling: Steyn 10-0-59-1 (1w); Parnell 10-2-60-3; Kallis 3-0-14-1 (1w); Morkel 6-0-45-0 (1nb, 1w); van der Merwe 9-0-67-0 (2w); Botha 9-0-56-2; Duminy 3-0-17-0

SOUTH AFRICA Innings
*G Smith c Shah b Broad 141
H Gibbs c Wright b Anderson 22
J Kallis c Denly b Broad 12
AB de Villiers c Denly b Collingwood 36
JP Duminy b Swann 24
+M Boucher b Anderson 8
A Morkel run out (wkp Morgan) 17
J Botha c Onions b Broad  0
D van der Merwe b Anderson 0
W Parnell not out 10
D Steyn not out 17

Extras (lb8, w5, nb1) 14

TOTAL (9 wickets – 50 overs) 301

Fall of wickets: 1-42 (Gibbs, 6.6 overs), 2-64 (Kallis, 11.5), 3-142 (de Villiers, 25.5), 4-206 (Duminy, 36.6), 5-230 (Boucher, 40.1), 6-255 (Morkel, 44.1), 7-255 (Botha, 44.3), 8-263 (van der Merwe, 45.2), 9-274 (Smith, 46.5)

Bowling: Anderson 10-0-42-3 (1nb, 4w); Onions 7-0-52-0; Broad 10-0-67-3 (1w); Wright 5-0-31-0; Collingwood 10-0-58-1; Swann 8-0-43-1

Points: England 2, South Africa 0