Kemp hits out in his match-winning innings.

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By Richard Gibson, PA Sport

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Big-hitting Justin Kemp powered South Africa to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand at Kingsmead - and eliminated England from the World Twenty20.

Kemp blasted six sixes and six fours in an unbeaten 89 to guide the Proteas to their 154-run target, and leave Paul Collingwood's side's Group E contest against India on the same ground later today irrelevant from an English perspective.

Kemp finished things with his sixth six, off the first ball of the final over to wreck Mark Gillespie's previously pristine figures of 3-1-5-2.

The South Africans were wobbling at 45 for three in the eighth over but Kemp's 56-ball effort provided the bulk of the scoring.

The host country may have been chasing a few more in Durban but for a brilliant display from fast bowler Morne Morkel, who finished with four for 17 - he would have become the first man to take a five-wicket haul in 20-over internationals but umpire Billy Doctrove erroneously called a no-ball when he bowled Gillespie at the death.

Once again it was the unmistakable figure of Craig McMillan who provided the first-innings fireworks as he jumped to the top of the individual sixes table.

Despite a thrusting start from openers Brendon McCullum and Lou Vincent, who shared 68 before being parted in the ninth over, New Zealand lost their way in mid-innings.

After their departures within the space of a few deliveries, it became a one-man show with McMillan once again revelling at one end as wickets tumbled at the other.

Having introduced himself with a six off Vernon Philander, the 31-year-old McMillan hit two more maximums in one over from Albie Morkel to surpass Chris Gayle's 10 for the tournament.

McMillan made it a personal dozen in just five matches with an extraordinary hit in the final over of the innings as a delivery from Johan van der Wath was spiralled over wicketkeeper Mark Boucher's head and into the stands.

Kemp is now the highest scorer in the tournament with 168 runs, including 10 sixes.

"If you are in good nick and you get hold of a few it's the kind of ground where you can catch up with the rate pretty quickly," said Kemp. "We still haven't hit our straps completely but if we keep on improving there is no reason we can't go all the way."

With the Morkel brothers strengthening an already formidable limited-overs unit, South Africa appear to have the brute strength required in this format of the game.

"Our young guys have stepped up and shown a lot of bottle," said Proteas captain Graeme Smith. "In Durban it can be easy to go two or three wickets down and I thought Kempy and Mark Boucher marshalled the middle and the innings was finished off superbly."

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori is now hoping for at least one Indian defeat, which would send his side into the semi-finals.

"It wasn't quite a competitive total but we fought pretty well in the field," he said. "We were quite sloppy with our extras and when you come up against a team like South Africa and let yourselves down like that it hurts you."

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