South Africa fought a long fight but it was their low score of 212 coupled with multiple dropped catches that helped Australia edge past them in the thrilling second semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023 played at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. After winning the toss, South Africa found themselves in trouble from the very beginning. 12 overs into the game, South Africa could only manage 24 runs on the scoreboard. Worse, they had four batters back in the hut. It was David Miller’s gritty 101 along with Heinrich Klaasen’s 47 that helped the Temba Bavuma’s side cross the 200 mark on the big night.
Australia began their run chase in a hurry, with 60 runs coming off just the first 6 overs but the departure of dangerous David Warner and Mitchell Marsh going back soon after for a duck put brakes on Australian innings. Sure, the Aussie opener Travis Head scored 62 in 48 but after he was gone in the 15th over, Australian batters played a watchful innings.
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South Africa kept picking up wickets at regular intervals but they also dropped plenty of catches.
In the end, it was the Aussie tail that displayed a solid fight as Mitchell Starc (16*) and Pat Cummins (14*) shared a match-winning stand of 22 runs* for the eighth wicket, which sealed the fate for South Africa.
Bavuma’s captaincy came under fire, his bat being quiet in the World Cup was discussed too. The half-chances, the dropped catches were debated. South Africa had “choked” once again in a World Cup semi-final. All things combined, South Africa faced the brunt of disappointed cricket fans who put out the said reasons as to why the Proteas lost.
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“Bavuma Was Disappointing”
“Catches Win Matches”
“Once a Choker, Always a Choker “
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Five-time World Champions Australia will now meet Rohit Sharma’s India on Sunday, November 19 in the grand finale.
first published: November 16, 2023, 22:55 IST
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
