South Africa was eliminated from the Twenty20 World Cup on Saturday, but coach Mark Boucher said the young team is heading in the “right direction” and will be rewarded with a trophy soon.
The Proteas defeated England in their final Super 12 league match in Sharjah, but the effort was insufficient to secure a place in the semi-finals.
They finished with the same number of points as group winners England and second-placed Australia, but the Aussies advanced to the final four due to a better run rate.
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South Africa reached 189-2 thanks to Rassie van der Dussen’s unbeaten 94, but they needed to limit England to fewer than 131 runs to beat Australia.
Kagiso Rabada’s last-over hat-trick helped England finish on 179-9. “This team understands that we are on an upward trajectory and that we are learning as we go.” “You know, we’re not a finished product,” said Boucher.
“These games will serve us well because, as I mentioned, every game we played was under pressure.”
“It’s a young side,” he added. We’re still growing, and hopefully, we’ll be able to go from strength to strength and carry this confidence with us.
“So we’re moving in the right direction.” We just need a little bit of luck and fortune to go our way, and hopefully, we’ll be able to put something in the trophy cabinet soon.”
Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s first black African captain ahead of the T20 World Cup, led the team to four victories in five Super 12 games.
They recovered from their opening loss to Australia by defeating the West Indies in a game that saw Quinton de Kock withdraw minutes before the toss for refusing to take the knee.
He later apologized and agreed to return for the next game against Sri Lanka, and the team knelt together for the first time to support the anti-racism gesture.
However, the team continued to win, with players such as Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi, David Miller, and Anrich Nortje contributing.
“It’s been difficult for this team. “I know we’re making headlines for the wrong reasons, but despite the fact that we’re out of the World Cup, I think there were some great positives to take away from this,” said Boucher.
“The way the guys played, the passion they displayed, the energy as a team.” The guys have been really close behind closed doors, and it shows in the way they play.”
Boucher complimented Bavuma and added, “I think Temba deserves a pat on the back as well.” He’s been fantastic in a team setting and has really led from the front.”
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