South African captain Temba Bavuma said that he had no words to express the depth of his emotions after his team’s heartbreaking exit from the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
South Africa is yet to solve the mystery, as they suffered yet another heartbreak in the ODI World Cup semifinal despite playing some outstanding cricket in this tournament.
On November 16, the Pat Cummins-led Australia team held their nerve and displayed an outstanding game to ensure South Africa’s exit from the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023 with a three-wicket win in a low-scoring second semifinal at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Bavuma, though undoubtedly disappointed with the heartbreaking loss, displayed commendable sportsmanship by extending his heartfelt congratulations to the triumphant Australian side.
Now, India and Australia will battle it out for the World Cup trophy on November 19 in Ahmedabad.
Temba Bavuma said in the post-match presentation: “Cannot put it into words, first of all, congratulations to Australia. Good luck to them in the final. They played really well today. Our character came through today. We showed a lot of resilience. The way we started with the bat and the ball was the telling point, that’s where we lost the game.”
The 33-year-old also hailed Australia pacers as they took early wickets to put South Africa under pressure in Kolkata.
He said, “The conditions combined with the quality of their attack, they put us under pressure. You’re always going to struggle to put up a competitive total when you’re 24/4.”
Hailing David Miller for his brilliant century, Bavuma said: “We were gaining some momentum when Miller and Klaasen were out there but unfortunately he (Klaasen) couldn’t carry on a bit longer. Miller’s innings were superb, really highlights the character of the entire team, it was extraordinary to do that in such a pressure situation and in a World Cup semi-final.”
Speaking about the poor fielding, the Proteas skipper noted: “They got 70-odd in the first 10 and that really allowed the rest of the guys to settle. Aiden Markram and Keshav Maharaj were fantastic and they really put them under pressure. We had chances, tough chances that we put down, it could’ve been a bit close had we held on to them.”
Bavuma was also really impressed with Gerald Coetzee, who was brilliant with the ball throughout the CWC 2023. Coetzee also picked the crucial wicket of Steve Smith in the semifinal.
He said, “As a young guy, he (Gerald Coetzee) really was the warrior for us, there wasn’t much happening for the seamers then but for him to come round the wicket and to take the wicket of Smith was incredible. He was cramping but he still wanted to keep bowling.”
Bavuma also lauded Quinton de Kock who played his last ODI on Thursday and called him one of the South African legends.
He signed off by saying, “Quinton would’ve probably wanted to end his career on a different note, despite the result I think he’ll remember his time. He’ll go down as one of the legends in South African cricket.”
(With PTI/Star Sports Inputs)
