A grinding Kane Williamson century has guided the Blackcaps to a Cricket World Cup victory over South Africa.
The four-wicket win ensures New Zealand remain unbeaten at the tournament, and they have leapfrogged England and Australia to top the table after five games.
A win over the West Indies on the weekend would likely qualify them for the semi-finals.
But the result was never certain, despite a superb all-round bowling performance from the Blackcaps that restricted South Africa to 241/6 from 49 overs. Play started 90 minutes late, due to a wet outfield.
The Proteas never got going on a slow wicket and had an early setback, when Trent Boult split the defences of Quinton de Kock in the second over.
A Hashim Amla fifty had South Africa dreaming of 290, but he fell to Mitchell Santner in the 28th over, as the Blackcaps tightened the screws in the middle overs.
Colin de Grandhomme was excellent with the ball, finishing with 1/33 from his 10-over spell.
Lockie Ferguson snared 3/59 in a fiery spell that often clicked past 150km. Middle-order batsman Rassie van der Dussen steered his side to a competitive score on a difficult wicket.
Van der Dussen scored 67 not out, including two fours and a six at better than a run a ball.
And 242 looked a great score, when New Zealand found themselves 80/4 in the 19th over. Martin Guptill and Williamson had done a great job to recover from the early loss of Colin Munro, guiding New Zealand to 72/1 in the 15th over.
But Guptill stood on his stumps on 35 and South Africa pounced, claiming three wickets for eight runs in 13 balls.
Chris Morris removed Ross Taylor (1) and Tom Latham (1) to have New Zealand reeling with more than half the target in front of them.
But Williamson and James Neesham combined for a steady 57-run partnership to get the Blackcaps within striking distance - and strike is exactly what de Grandhomme did, when he came to the wicket at Neesham's dimissal for 23.
Still requiring 105 for victory, the big-hitting all-rounder thrashed the Proteas attack to all parts of Edgebaston, powering to 60 from 47 balls and sharing in a match-winning 91-run partnership with his skipper.
He criminally fell with just 14 runs to go, holing out to du Plessis, off Lungi Ngidi.
But after struggling at times to generate a run rate, Williamson stepped up. The Blackcaps required seven runs from five balls, before the Kiwi captain swotted Andile Phuhlukwayo over mid-wicket for six and the match was all-but over.
The win - New Zealand's fourth of the campaign - resigns South Africa to the likely prospect of an early trip home.
Williamson scored the Man of the Match award for his unbeaten 106 runs off 138 balls.
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