Kolkata, Mar 5 (UNI) South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad admitted his side was thoroughly outplayed after crashing out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a nine-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the semifinal at Eden Gardens.
South Africa entered the knockout clash on a seven-match unbeaten run in the tournament, but a record-breaking century from opener Finn Allen powered New Zealand to a dominant victory and a place in the final.
When asked whether South Africa had once again “choked” in a crucial knockout game, Conrad dismissed the suggestion, saying his team was simply outclassed.
“I don’t know if tonight was a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping. We got our arses kicked,” ICC quoted Conrad.
“I think in order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn’t have a sniff. In South Africa, we say we’d get moered. Tonight, we got a proper snot klaaped.”
Despite the heavy loss, the coach said the tournament still offered several positives for the Proteas.
Captain Aiden Markram led the batting charts for his side with 286 runs, while pacers Lungi Ngidi (12 wickets), Corbin Bosch, and Marco Jansen (11 wickets each) were among the leading wicket-takers of the tournament.
Conrad said the team had exceeded expectations by reaching the semifinals despite modest form before the competition.
“I think there’ll be enough people jumping on the bandwagon,” he said. “But we did so many special things. I’m so proud of these guys.
“I don’t think many people gave us much of a chance of even getting into a semifinal when we left the shores.”
However, Conrad acknowledged criticism would follow the defeat.
“But that’s no consolation. Look, I think it’s cue the abuse now. There’ll be enough of it,” he added.
