Once again, South Africa proves itself vulnerable to high-pressure matches. At Eden Gardens yesterday, South Africa lost to Australia by 3 wickets, falling victim to their very own Semifinal curse.
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South Africa’s Semifinal Curse
South Africa’s innings took off from the wrong runway as they managed to lose 4 wickets within 24 runs. David Miller & Klaasen rescued the Proteas from an even bigger catastrophe with their 95 runs partnership. Savior Miller’s century of 101 runs gave the Proteas a fighting chance. South Africa managed to stack 212 runs in 49.4 Overs for 10 wickets, far lower than what is possible at Eden Gardens. Cummins, Starc & Hazlewood didn’t let any Protea batter settle in the pitch.
A shot at #CWC23 glory 💎🏆 pic.twitter.com/8Iy5I48dEp
— ICC (@ICC) November 17, 2023
Australia started off on great foot as Warner & Head mounted an opening partnership of 60 runs. However, Protea bowlers slowly crept in to take out both openers soon after. With every passing over, South African bowlers were attempting to build winning momentum as they took out crucial Aussie batters. At the end of 39.5 Overs, Australia stood at 193 for 7 wickets, leaving a door open for the Proteas to jump in. Nonetheless, it seemed the target was too low for Coetzee, Shamsi & Markham to defend as Aussie skipper Cummins finished off the innings with a boundary, ensuring Australia’s entry into the final.
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Travis Head received the Player of the Match trophy for his all-rounding performance of 2 wickets & 62 runs. No Aussie batter shined individually; however, their consistency on the pitch kept the runs coming as they slowly overtook the target set by the Proteas. Smith (30), Head (62) & Warner (29) all contributed from their respective batting position. Australia will meet India in the Final of CWC 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium of Ahmedabad.
