ICC CWC 2023: "We showed a lot of resilience," says SA skipper Bavuma after loss to Australia in semis

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 16 (ANI): Following his side's three-wicket loss to Australia in their ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal match, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said that his side showed a lot of resilience, and Australia making the most of their opportunities in the powerplay allowed the rest of the team to settle.
Australia cruised to their eighth World Cup final, denying South Africa their maiden appearance in the title clash by beating them in the second semifinal by three wickets in a nail-biting match at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on Thursday.
"I cannot put it into words; first of all, congratulations to Australia. Good luck to them in the final. They played really well today. Our character came through today. We should have a lot of resilience. The way we started with the bat and the ball was the telling point; that is where we lost the game. The conditions, combined with the quality of their attack was it, they really put us under pressure. You are always going to struggle to put up a competitive total when you are 24/4. We were gaining some momentum when David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen were out there, but unfortunately, he could not carry on a bit longer. Miller's innings was superb, really highlighted the character of the entire team, it was extraordinary to do that in such a pressure situation and in a World Cup Semi-final," said Miller in a post-match presentation.
"They got 70-odd in the first 10, and that really allowed the rest of the guys to settle. Markram and Maharaj were fantastic and they really put them under pressure. We had chances, tough chances that we put down, it could have been a bit close had we held on to them. As a young guy, he really was the warrior for us, there was not much happening for the seamers then but for him to come around the wicket and to take the wicket of Smith was incredible. He was cramping but he still wanted to keep bowling. Quinton (who is retiring from ODIs) would have probably wanted to end his career on a different note, despite the result I think he will remember his time. He will go down as one of the greatest in South African cricket," he added.
Coming to the match, Proteas opted to bat first. After being reduced to 24/4, a 95-run partnership between Heinrich Klaasen (47 in 48 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Miller helped Proteas recover. A half-century between Miller and Gerald Coetzee (19) was also vital in taking Proteas near the 200-run mark. SA was bundled out for 212 in 49.4 overs.
Mitchell Starc (3/34) and skipper Pat Cummins (3/51) were the top wicket-takers for Australia. Josh Hazlewood (2/12) and Travis Head (2/21) also bowled well for Aussies.
In the chase of 213, Australia started well with Travis Head (62 in 48 balls, with nine fours and two sixes) and David Warner (29 in 18 balls, with one four and four sixes) providing a 60-run opening stand.
Following that, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals and Proteas kept fighting. Knocks from Steve Smith (30 in 62 balls, with two fours) and Josh Inglis (28 in 49 balls, with three fours) proved to be enough to guide the Aussies to a three-wicket win, with 16 balls to spare.
Tabraiz Shamsi (2/42) and Gerald Coetzee (2/47) were the pick of the bowlers for SA. Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj got a wicket each. (ANI)