South Africa captain Temba Bavuma was elated with his team’s narrow one-wicket win over Pakistan in a thrilling ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match on Friday, October 27, in Chennai.
Cricket fans witnessed one of the most nail-biting encounters of the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023 in Chennai, when South Africa were chasing 271 runs for their first win over Pakistan since 1999 at the event. It was South Africa’s first win over Pakistan in ICC events since 2013.
Before the drama of the last wicket, Aiden Markram (91) added 70 runs for the fifth wicket with David Miller (29) to take South Africa from 136/4 to 206/4, before losing the next five wickets for 54 runs. At one point, it seemed that Pakistan would win the match with 11 needed and just one wicket left.
But Keshav Maharaj (7*) and Tabraiz Shamsi (4*) managed to pull off a miraculous one-wicket for the Proteas following a tense situation after Markram, Gerald Coetzee (10), and Lungi Ngidi’s (4) wickets.
Temba Bavuma said at the post-match press conference, “I do think we could have shown a lot more of a clinical display in going about that run chase. I think we did have luck on our side. We did give them opportunities to get into the game.”
On his emotions during the final overs, the Proteas skipper said: “It was a little bit chaotic now with the guys jumping around. I think obviously at the end as well, we were all on the edge of our seats. I think you had everyone’s opinions flying around as to how we should be going about that run chase.”
Bavuma continued, “But at the end of the day, the guys who were in there, Keshav and Shamsi, did it for us. I think the gods were with us. But like I said, it’s easier for us to have those conversations regarding our blueprint and how we want to go about going about those run chases.”
Bavuma said that South Africa’s rugby team has been an inspiration for his team at the CWC 2023. Notably, the South African rugby team is set to face New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final in Paris on October 29.
He signed off by saying, “I think speaking about more recently with the Boks, I think their performances have been inspiring. Looking at the quarterfinal, how they went about it there. Looking at the semifinal as well where they kind of came out of nowhere and won it for the team. I think that was quite inspiring and motivating for us as players to see how guys never gave up.”
(With PTI/IANS Inputs)
