Having just smashed India’s Axar Patel for 22 runs off his own bat in the 15th over and requiring 30 from 30 balls for victory, Heinrich Klaasen was guiding South Africa towards their first-ever T20 World Cup title on Saturday.
From that point though, the Proteas systematically fell away in their chase as Klaasen departed for 52 after he had added three more runs to his score as the rate continued to climb as it was left to David Miller (21) and the tail to pull off the win.
It may not grab the headlines, but the next over was also critical. Jasprit Bumrah, though he didn’t pick up a wicket in those six balls, conceded just four runs. It shifted the momentum back in favour of India as South Africa were left still needing 26 from 24.
It was then that India slowed the game down as Rishabh Pant went down with what appeared to be a curious knee niggle. The break in play worked like a charm as the next ball Klaasen was caught behind off a widish delivery, as the Proteas march to defeat began.
Proteas skipper Aiden Markram on his T20 World Cup final loss to India: “I had a really good feeling about this competition, as the competition went on the feeling got stronger and stronger. This is pretty tough to deal with now.”
— IOL Sport (@IOLsport) June 30, 2024
📽️: ICC pic.twitter.com/MmATralCbJ
‘They’re allowed to bowl well’
Afterwards, Proteas skipper Aiden Markram was hesitant to lay the blame on any of his players but instead credited India for their performance.
“It’s not the first game of cricket that’s been lost with a team needing 30 off 30 – it’s more that India was allowed to bowl well, they're allowed to field well, they're allowed to go from that position to a position of strength,” said Markram.
“It happens often in this game.Like I mentioned, right now to pinpoint something is quite tough but we'll reflect over the next few days, over the next few weeks, try and find areas that we could have maybe improved on during today's game, but also to highlight the things that went really well for us.”
Though Markram insisted it was India that went out and won it, and not South Africa that had lost it - he explained it didn’t make the defeat hurt any less.
“It’s just gut wrenching – that’s really what it is. Each player has been on a different individual journey to get to this first final.
“Ultimately you become really tight as a group and you want good things to happen to this group because you know they're great people and when you get really close like that, especially the nature of how the game went, obviously adds to the emotions and it's one of those things. But yeah, we can channel it moving forward but I think next couple of days you let it be, you let yourself feel the way you want to feel and then really start reflecting in a positive manner.”
Before their heartbreak in the final, South Africa racked up eight victories in the T20 World Cup. Seven of those wins saw South Africa battle with different aspects of their game, but on every occasion they managed to hold their nerve in those pressure situations.
‘It’s tough’
It’s for that reason alone that the Proteas would have believed even after the loss of Klaasen in the last five overs, that they would still be able to find a way to win.
“It’s tough. They bowled really well in the back end and had very simple plans and executed it really well. From a run a ball it can go to 10 an over in the space of one over. So, your game plan as a batter changes. You're potentially thinking you're keeping the ball on the ground, running hard until the job's done and the bowler bowls a good over. Next thing you'd be searching for boundaries and everything changes quickly like that.”
Ultimately though, it was an incredible campaign for the Proteas and that’s the way Markram would view it.
“I think one thing that will definitely say is how proud we are. Not just of today, the game itself, but the competition as a whole, the build-up to get here. So, in hindsight, the things will still feel really good about this competition. But like I mentioned, just for the time being, it stings a bit, but it's good for it to sting. It gives you that little bit of fire in the belly for next time that you're here.”