Innings-guiding contributions from Dan Christian and D'Arcy Short weren't enough for Australia to avoid bowing out of an international T20 'Legends' tournament overnight.
South Africa claimed victory in the World Championship of Legends semi-final, beating Australia by two runs in a final ball thriller.
Christian led the Australians with an unbeaten 49 (29) in the middle order after South Africa posted 8/186 in the first innings.
Batting at three, Short combined with Shaun Marsh (25 from 17) and Chris Lynn (35 from 29) at the top of the order, hitting 33 (29) to help his side to 4/130 with less than five overs remaining at Edgbaston.
However it was Christian who almost propelled Australia to victory, the allrounder going at a strike rate of nearly 170 to take the match down to the final delivery.
Australia needed 14 from the 20th over before Rob Quiney cleared the boundary to make eight needed from five balls, with the pressure put back on South African seamer Wayne Parnell.
Proteas great AB de Villiers then saved a boundary to bring Christian back on strike.
The 42-year-old found a single at mid-off, with another from Quiney before he left the field gingerly with three runs required from the final ball.
Christian then drove Parnell's final delivery straight for what would have been a match winning four if not for de Villiers, who saved the boundary on the ropes before running out incoming non-striker Nathan Coulter-Nile who was caught well short of his ground.
The World Championship of Legends brings retired and former international players, such as in Short's case, together for a world cup-esque tournament.
Names competing include the likes of Brett Lee and Peter Siddle in Australia's side, England's Alastair Cook, the West Indies' Kieron Pollard and Pakistan's Wahab Riaz.
Short produced his best in Thursday's semi-final, taking 2/32 with the ball to go with his 30-odd with the bat.
The 34-year-old averaged 17 across five innings.
The Mitakoodi man came into the tournament on the back of finishing as top scorer in England and Wales' Vitality Blast T20 season with Gloucestershire.
Short scored 551 runs in the domestic white ball tournament at an average of 42.38.
After a no result opener against England, Australia claimed eight and four wicket wins over the West Indies and India, respectively.
However they lost to South Africa by a hefty 95 runs earlier in the tournament, with a disappointing 74 chased down by Pakistan within eight overs to finish their pool matches.
Christian didn't bother the scorers on two occasions outside of hitting 49 in the semi-final and 39 (28) against India. He also took four wickets for the tournament.
The tournament was also hit by ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan.
The nations' pool match was cancelled with India opting not to compete in their semi-final, handing Pakistan qualification into the final.
South Africa will face Pakistan in the tournament's decider on Sunday.
