South Africa coach Rob Walter was really disappointed and left heartbroken by his team’s painful defeat against Australia in the second semifinal of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
South Africa suffered another heartbreak in the ODI World Cup semifinal, as the Pat Cummins-led Australian team set the final date with India with a three-wicket win at Eden Gardens on November 16.
After South Africa’s heartbreaking exit from the Cricket World Cup 2023, coach Walter has openly said that he will not watch the final between India and Australia, and that he doesn’t care about the clash.
However, the coach mentioned that it would be fitting for India to lift the trophy at home.
Rob Walter said at the post-match presentation: “To be honest, there’s one percent chance I’ll be watching (final). And to be even more brutally honest, I don’t care. But obviously, because of the World Cup being in India, it’s always great for the home nation to win the World Cup.”
Walter said that he has a soft corner for Australia for the final, but at the same time, he admitted that Team India is playing just amazing cricket and they would also have crowd support, so it would only be fitting for India to win the World Cup on November 19.
He added, “I’ve got a lot of friends in the Australian change room, so I probably have a soft spot for a couple of them, especially the coach. But just seeing the support when we last played here against India the way the fans rallied around the team, and the great hope and inspiration of winning a World Cup at home, I think it would only be fitting for India to win. And in the same breath, they have been the best side in the competition and they’ve played the best cricket.”
Meanwhile, Walter defended the controversial decision to pick the skipper Temba Bavuma for the semifinal clash despite not being 100 per cent fit.
The coach said: “He marshaled the troops this evening unbelievably well. To give and get the game close, strategically the way he operated along with the senior heads around him on the field was brilliant.”
Hailing South Africa’s efforts to defend a paltry 213 runs against Australia, Walter noted: “The different pressures created through the field positions; I thought it was an excellent effort to defend that score. Sometimes it’s not easy to walk through a tournament when you aren’t delivering yourself but the batters around you are. But the important thing is that we operate as a unit.”
He signed off by saying, “He was the lead man that got us into this tournament in the first place. I think people forget that so I just wanted to make sure that he was aware of how important he is in this team and how proud I am of his efforts and the way he led throughout the tournament. I just told him how proud I am of him.”
Notably, South Africa will be hosting India at home after the World Cup 2023.
(With PTI Inputs)
