'Australia were ruthless, exploited every bit of advantage'
- By AFP -
- Nov 17, 2023
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma revealed the reason of his side’s defeat to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinal at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
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Australia qualified for the final with a three-wicket win over South Africa at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
South Africa, electing to bat, found themselves struggling at 24-4 before David Miller kept the scoreboard ticking with a century. His 101-run knock took the Proteas to 212 all out.
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc returned figures of 3-34.
The five-time winners wobbled in the run chase after Travis Head’s 62 in Kolkata but Steve Smith (30) and Josh Inglis (28) helped the five-time champions reach their target with 16 balls to spare and make their eighth final.
Temba Bavuma said they struggled from the start and had to play catch-up for the entire game.
“The way we started with the bat and ball was the turning point, we always had to play catch-up,” Temba Bavuma said. “The conditions combined with the quality of the Australia attack. They were ruthless and exploited every bit of advantage, and really put us under pressure.”
South Africa were left to rue a fifth semi-final loss with Australia reaching an eighth 50-over World Cup final
The defeat was particularly painful for the Proteas who had routed Australia by 134 runs in a group stage game at Lucknow four weeks ago.
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