Former captain of Australia Ricky Ponting has advised South Africa to embrace playing in the T20 World Cup 2024 final against India.
South Africa are set to face India in the ultimate game of the tournament to win their first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy.
The Protease remain undefeated in the T20 World Cup 2024 with eight victories in eight games.
They qualified for the T20 World Cup 2024 final after thrashing Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semi-final on June 26.
Meanwhile, India will play their third T20 World Cup final to win the title for the second time.
Ahead of their clash on June 29, legendary Australian batter and skipper Ricky Ponting revealed the advice he would give to South Africa’s players.
Read more: From Chokers to Champions? South Africa’s World Cup Redemption Arc in Sight
“A lot of teams say ‘It’s just another game’ and they try and hide away from how big the occasion is and it is no good doing that. it is all about embracing it for what it is,” said Ponting in an interview. “These players haven’t been there before, so enjoy tonight, enjoy tomorrow.”
According to the Australian great, South Africa’s players have the talent and skills to overcome India in the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
“They are undefeated upto here, so they don’t need to change anything and they don’t need to try any harder. They just need to turn up and be the best version of themselves and the best version of themselves as a team on the day and give themselves the best chance. If they do that, they will be hard to beat,” he added.
South Africa’s World Cup story is a narrative of near misses. They’ve reached the semi-finals a staggering eight times, but never the final.
The ghosts of past tournaments loom large – the heartbreak of 1999 where they were in a commanding position against Australia, or the agonizing defeat to New Zealand in the 2015 semi-final, etched in memory with Grant Elliott’s last-ball six.
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