NZ hero Elliott lauded for sportsmanship

Grant Elliott may have etched his name into cricketing folklore by belting New Zealand into the World Cup final, but it was the manner in which he marked the occasion that has seen him transcend sport.

Elliott, whose Black Caps needed five runs off the last two balls to win their semi final against South Africa, dispatched a Dale Steyn delivery for six to trigger scenes of euphoria among the home crowd at Eden Park.Both sides were battling for their first ever appearance in a World Cup final and while Elliott himself initially couldn't contain his emotions, it is what he did next that has seen him lauded around the world.

Seeing Steyn lying flat on the pitch, overwhelmed by the pain of the Proteas' latest failure in the tournament, Elliott reached out a hand to help his foe from the ground in a wonderful moment of sportsmanship.

His gesture was captured by photographers at the ground and has been compared to one of the game's most iconic moments that involved Australian Brett Lee. In 2005, England allrounder Andrew Flintoff embodied the spirit of cricket when he consoled Lee moments after England secured a famous victory by just two runs in a thrilling second Ashes Test match at Edgbaston.

Asked about his actions, Elliott said he knew he could have been in Steyn's shoes.

"You have to feel compassion. Humble in victory, humble in defeat. I felt quite sorry for him. I felt quite sorry for a lot of the South African guys for losing the game," he said."It could have been us. It could have been me sitting there having missed the last two balls and I would have been pretty gutted as well along with 40,000 people in the stadium."