KATHMANDU: With an exciting final lined up ahead against India, South Africa will be determined to get their hands on a maiden ICC World Cup trophy.
Let’s take a look at their journey so far.
South Africa have been in terrific form this season in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, stepping into the final undefeated.
As they battle it out against India in the final, in search of a maiden ICC World Cup trophy, let’s take a look at how they have fared so far in the tournament.
First Round
Sri Lanka
South Africa kickstarted their campaign with a convincing win over Sri Lanka in the Group D opener on June 3 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
The Asian side got bowled out for just 77 with Anrich Nortje taking a four-wicket haul and Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj taking two wickets each.
Although the chase didn’t end up as easy as the South Africans would have expected, they still managed to get past the finishing line, scoring 80/4 in 16.2 overs with Quinton de Kock registering 20 runs in 27 balls, the highest by any player from both teams.
Netherlands
In yet another low scoring fixture at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, on June 8, South Africa got the better of Netherlands with a four-wicket victory.
Batting first, Netherlands were restricted to 103/9 by the South African bowlers with Ottneil Baartman starring with four wickets to his name.
Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen also played a significant role by picking up two wickets each.
David Miller (59 runs in 51 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (33 runs in 37 balls) led the chase, driving the Proteas past the finishing line with seven balls in hand.
Bangladesh
On June 10, South Africa scraped past Bangladesh in a four-run win at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
South Africa could only set 113 on the board with Heinrich Klaasen leading the line, scoring 46 runs off 44 balls.
But the Proteas made up for their weakness with the bat through a bowling masterclass with Kagiso Rabada (2/19), Keshav Maharaj (3/27) and Anrich Nortje (2/17) sharing seven wickets between them, putting an end to Bangladesh’s chase four runs short at the end of the 20th over.
Nepal
The Proteas came inches close to their first defeat of the season when they locked horns with Nepal at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent on June 15.
Through decent knocks from Reeza Hendricks (43 runs in 49 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (27 runs in 18 balls), South Africa managed to set a 116-run target for Nepal.
The Asian underdogs took the challenge head on, dragging the match till the last ball, before succumbing to a narrow one-run loss to South Africa. Tabraiz Shamsi stole the show with an exceptional spell of four wickets.
Super Eights
USA
Masterclass performances from Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada helped South Africa get the better of USA on June 19 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda.
The Proteas set a target of 195 runs courtesy of Quinton de Kock (74 runs in 40 balls), Aiden Markram (46 runs in 32 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (36 runs in 22 balls).
Although Andries Gous was paving the way for a historic win for the USA, Kagiso Rabada’s 3-wicket spell helped restrict the co-hosts to 176/6, stealing an 18-run win
England
South Africa registered a 7-run win against England on June 21, at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia.
Batting first, the African side set a 164-run target for England through explosive knocks from Quinton de Kock (65 runs in 38 balls), and David Miller (43 runs in 28 balls).
With Kagiso Rabada (2/32) and Keshav Maharaj (2/25) taking charge with the ball, they managed to restrain England’s batting prowess and keep them 7-runs short from a Super Over.
West Indies
In a fixture that was cut short due to an unfortunate downpour, South Africa downed West Indies with 3-wickets in hand at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda, on June 23.
The Windies batted all 20 overs registering 135 runs, with Tabraiz Shamsi scalping three wickets for South Africa.
South Africa required 123 runs in 17 overs via DLS method to step into the semi-finals unbeaten.
Although none of the batters could hold their ground for long, sensible knocks from Aiden Markram (18 runs in 15 balls) and Tristan Stubbs(29 runs in 27 balls), followed by a spectacular finish from Marco Jansen helped them pull off a victory with five balls in hand.
Semi-Final
Afghanistan
In the first semi-final of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan’s dream campaign was forced to a disappointing conclusion when South Africa pulled off a nine-wicket win over them on June 26 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago.
Brilliant spells from Tabraiz Shamsi (3/6), Marco Jansen (3/16), Anrich Nortje (2/7) and Kagiso Rabada (2/14) bowled the Afghans out for just 56 runs in the first innings.
Taking the pitch to chase a comfortable total, Reeza Hendricks (29 runs in 25 balls) and Aiden Markram (23 runs in 21 balls) finished off the match in 8.5 overs, helping the Proteas to the final of the Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time.
South Africa will battle it out against India at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29, with their eyes on the coveted trophy that has eluded them.
ICC
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