South African team captain Aiden Markram was impressed with the ‘massive squad effort’ as they reached their maiden final in the World Cup. Markram, in a humble way, pointed out that it’s not just the captain’s contribution but the entire team’s effort that led to South Africa’s success in the tournament so far. The rampant South Africa team rolled over Afghanistan in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on June 27, Thursday.
Markram became the first-ever South African captain to lead the Proteas to their maiden World Cup final. They buried the ghosts of the past knockouts to cross the semi-final hurdle. South Africa thrashed Afghanistan by 9 wickets in a one-sided affair in Trinidad. After opting to bat first, Afghanistan were bundled out for 56 runs, the lowest total by a team in a T20 World Cup. The South African bowlers were all over the Afghan batters as Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi picked 3 wickets each. Markram and Reeza Hendricks helped South Africa cross the line as South Africa chased down the target within 8.5 overs.
SA vs AFG match highlights
“It’s not only the captain that gets you here”
Markram pointed out that they were fortunate enough to have lost the toss on a tricky pitch in Trinidad.
“Feels good. It’s not only the captain that gets you here, it is a massive squad effort. Plenty of guys behind the scenes as well. Fortunate to have lost the toss, we would have batted too. We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it really simple. The bowlers have been incredible for us,” Markram said.
T20 World Cup Coverage | Points Table | T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule | Player Stats
SA reach maiden World Cup final
The South African skipper felt that the pitch was not easy to bat on and mentioned that this win in the semis meant a lot to the team.
“It was challenging with the bat, no batter is going to lie and tell you it was easy out there. We had a bit of luck and then got a bit of a partnership. We have had a few close games and a few people back home would have woken up early with more grey hairs. Glad today was a bit more comforting. It is one more step for us, it is an opportunity we have never had, nothing to be scared of. This win means a lot, we have some world-class players in the side but like I said, it takes a whole squad to be able to deliver such a performance,” Markram added.
South have maintained an unbeaten streak of eight matches in the tournament so far in the lead up to the final.
Published By:
Diya Kakkar
Published On:
Jun 27, 2024
