The South African men’s cricket team has been knocked out of the World Cup after defeating Australia in the semifinals. The loss marks the end of an era for the team, with many senior players likely to retire from international cricket.
A generation of stars without trophies
Nine of the 15 players in South Africa’s World Cup squad could end their national team careers as they began them: without a trophy to showcase their talent, skill, experience and hard work.
At 34, Rassie van der Dussen is the oldest player in the squad, while David Miller and Reeza Hendricks are just a few months younger. Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj and Tabbraiz Shamsi are all 33. Heinrich Klaasen is 32, Quinton de Kock and Lizaad Williams are 30. None of these players are in a position to be selected for the national team when South Africa hosts the 2027 World Cup.
De Kock has hung up his bat and jersey. He announced before the start of the tournament that he would quit the ODIs once South Africa was no longer in the World Cup. that happened in Thursday’s semifinal, which Australia won by three three-post wickets with 16 balls left in the match.
A very different team
It’s not unusual for this generation of South Africans that their national team has yet to win a World Cup. But on Thursday, they lost to a team that played better than they did, and that sets them apart. They didn’t inexplicably collapse like several other South African teams have in similar situations.
Aiden Markram is 29, Kagiso Rabada is 28 and Andile Phehlukwayo is 27.
Looking ahead
As a father in the locker room, how does Rob Walter ensure that the positives of Thursday’s performance are successfully passed on from the senior players to the younger ones in the squad? – When he held his press conference – much to the dismay of those in the locker room?
“Thank God I don’t have to be Queenie’s father anymore; that’s an added bonus,” Walter joked.” If you think about everything we’ve created and experienced here together, the World Cup is where you spend a lot of time together. The World Cup is different from a bilateral series, and I think if you ask everyone about their experience, I’d like them to say it was a memorable one.
“The more memorable moments there are, the closer we get as a whole and the more excited the players get about cricket. We’ve seen the players play incredible cricket, which will probably surprise a lot of people here and around the world. That’s what drives them to come back and get better.
“I’m excited. I think we have a lot of room to grow as a team and can play better than we are now. And most of the players that are about to embark on the journey are still in the locker room.”
Tough loss
South Africa won seven of their nine league matches to reach the semifinals and finally upset critics who did not see them winning the title. Their batsmen hit nine centuries, more than any other team in the tournament. Kucher’s 20 triples were the most by a South African bowler at a World Cup, and Keshav Maharaj jumped to the top of the ODI bowling rankings during the tournament.
“It’s frustrating to lose the semi-final but I’m proud of the lads for putting up a good fight. Batting in the first 12 overs this afternoon was a tough challenge. Ultimately, I think that’s what separated the two teams.
A team that fought to the end
South Africa, who have won all five of their first-past-the-post matches and again on Thursday after Temba Bavuma won the toss, came up against Australia’s top-order rookie duo of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who are in terrible form. They slipped to 18/2 in their powerplay innings, their lowest score in the first 10 overs of an ODI since 2008, but they still clawed back a total of 212 runs, with Miller hitting 101 in 116 overs. They reduced the Australians to 137/5 and 193/7, but it wasn’t enough to win the match. Even so, they didn’t shy away from the game.
“For me, choking is losing a game that you lose