“It’s very difficult to put it into words,” Bavuma said in the official post-match broadcast. “They were brilliant for a large part of the match and deserved to win. Looking at the score, I think the way we started with the bat and the ball was probably the turning point. We lost it badly there and we always had to do that.” “We’re playing catch-up to get ourselves back in the game.”
Was it the circumstances? Nerves? Australia’s attacking quality? “The conditions, combined with the quality of the attack. I think so,” Bavuma said [Josh] Hazlewood as well [Mitchell] Stark upfront they were cruel. They took advantage of every advantage available to them under the circumstances and put us under real pressure. “When you’re 4 versus 24, you’re always going to struggle to get a competitive total.”
South Africa chose to play in overcast conditions after a light drizzle. The fast Australia found some swing and bounce along with seam movement that helped them bat early and keep batting.
South Africa have yet to reach the final of the ODI World Cup despite reaching the semi-finals in 1992, 1999, 2007, 2015 and now in 2023.
More to follow…
