South Africa have an opportunity they never had: Markram after Proteas reach World Cup final for first time

South Africa captain Aiden Markram thanked the whole squad after their historic win over Afghanistan on Thursday in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final at Trinidad. The nine-wicket win over the Afghan Atlans fired South Africa into their first-ever men’s World Cup final, ODI or T20I.

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“It feels good to reach the final. It’s not only the captain that gets you in the final, it is a massive squad effort,” an excited Markram said after the final. “Plenty of guys behind the scenes as well.”

This was South Africa’s first win in a men’s World Cup semi-final after eight attempts.

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On Thursday, Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first but the decision backfired as they were bowled out for just 56. Five of those wickets fell in just the powerplay.

“Fortunate to have lost the toss, we would have batted too,” a relieved Markram said in the post-match ceremony. “We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it really simple. The bowlers have been incredible for us.”

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South Africa’s chase also had its hiccup at the start when opener Quinton de Kock was dismissed early, but Reeza Hendricks and Markram stitched an unbeaten 55-run partnership to get the job done in nine overs.

“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.” the Proteas skipper added.

South Africa will take on India or England in the final who will face off in the semi-final 2 on Thursday evening.

We’re in the Finals

— Graeme Smith (@GraemeSmith49) June 27, 2024

Talking about the final, Markram said: “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.”

Marco Jansen was declared the payer of the match for taking all his three wickets in the powerplay and giving South Africa a flying start.

“Awesome feeling. The guys played really well, we executed perfectly,” Jansen said after the match. “We just wanted to stick to our plan, bowl good lengths and see how the wicket reacts. The wicket was getting a bit open, and it was about keeping it simple.”