Aussies defeat the Proteas to enter 8th final
Australia defeated South Africa in a tight match at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, November 16 to reach the final of the 2023 Cricket World Cup for the eighth time, where the all-winning Indian team awaits it. India had beaten New Zealand handsomely the previous day.
Australia has won the tournament five times while India is a two-time winner.
At one point, in the 12th over, the Proteas were tottering at 24 for 4. A crucial 87-run partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller for the fifth wicket brought them back into the game. But then Travis Head got Klaasen and Jansen in consecutive balls to bring South Africa back on its knees. Miller’s brilliant 101 in 116 balls gave his team some heft, which ended its innings on 212.
But in the end, as expected, it turned out to be too less. However, Australia was made to work hard for the win. The winning runs came only in the 48th over. The Kangaroos’ wickets fell at regular intervals, and in the end, it looked like a score of around 250 could have given South Africa a chance at a win.
This time too, South Africa failed to shake off its ‘chokers’ tag, losing in the semifinal for the fifth time in 10 editions.
For the men from the ‘Rainbow Nation’, the dependable Keshav Maharaj was the pick of the bowlers, giving off a measly 24 runs and taking one wicket in 10 overs. For Australia, Pat Cummins took three wickets, but it was Travis Head’s two in consecutive balls, with the first taking the in-form Klaasen out, which turned out to be match-turning. He followed it up with a blistering 62 off 48 balls as the opener, packing in nine fours and two sixes, to take home the Player of the Match award. The best Australia bowler, however, was Josh Hazlewood, with figures of 8-3-12-2, resulting in an economy rate of just 1.50.
