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'Cannot Put In Words' - Bavuma On South Africa's Heartbreaking Semifinal Loss To Australia

image-lp1g4rf3South Africa's brilliant World Cup 2023 campaign had a bittersweet ending (Twitter)

In a dramatic ICC World Cup 2023 semi-final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, South Africa's aspirations for their first World Cup final were dashed by a narrow three-wicket defeat to Australia.

Temba Bavuma comments on South Africa's World Cup exit

The Proteas suffered an early collapse in their batting lineup, but David Miller's remarkable 101 off 116 balls, coupled with Heinrich Klaasen's 47, propelled them to a total of 212. Australian skipper Pat Cummins excelled with the ball, taking 3/51 in 9.4 overs.

Australia's response was initially aggressive, racing to 60 runs in the first six overs. However, South Africa clawed back into the contest with crucial wickets, pushing the match into the 48th over. Ultimately, Australia clinched victory, with Cummins scoring the winning runs.

Reflecting on the match and South Africa's campaign, captain Temba Bavuma expressed admiration for Australia's performance, acknowledging their exceptional play. He lauded the resilience and character shown by his team, particularly noting the challenging conditions and Australia's formidable pace attack.

"Yeah, cannot put in words. First of all, congratulations to Australia. Wishing them a good luck in the final. They played really well today, and credit should go to them. We displayed a brilliant character today, it came out throughout the game. 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 conditions dictated terms, and it combined well with their pace attack, which is, without a doubt, a quality one,” said Bavuma.




Bavuma further lamented the early batting collapse as a critical point in the game but praised Miller's innings for its exceptional quality under immense pressure. 

Additionally, he commended the bowling efforts of Markram and Maharaj, who applied significant pressure on the Australian batsmen. Despite the defeat, Bavuma highlighted the strength and potential of the South African team in high-pressure situations.

“They put us under a lot of pressure. You are always going to struggle to put up a competitive total when you are 24/4. We were gaining some momentum when Miller and Klaasen were out there, but unfortunately, he couldn't carry on a bit longer. Miller's knock was superb. The way he batted shows the character of the team. It was extraordinary to do that in such a pressure situation and in a World Cup Semi-final. They batted well in the first 10 overs and got away 70+ runs, which allowed the rest of the batters get settle in the middle. Markram and Maharaj were fantastic with the ball, and they really put them under pressure,” concluded the 33-year-old.