Former T20 captain Temba Bavuma has hailed the skill and character of the Proteas following their tense three-wicket victory in a rain-affected match against co-hosts West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup.
The West Indies batted first and posted a low score of 135 in their 20 overs. However, after the rain-affected play, South Africa were set a revised target of 123 off 17 overs.
In true South Africa style, the game ended in a tense finish as the Proteas needed five runs in the final over, with all recognised batters back in the pavilion. All-rounder Marco Jansen was able to guide the Proteas home alongside Kagiso Rabada as he hit a six with the first ball of the last over.
Following the victory, Bavuma took to X — formerly Twitter — to commend the Proteas for their character and skill saying: “The character and skill on display by the boys has been incredible, the raw emotion and never say die attitude is evident. They’re 2 big steps away, South Africa let’s get further behind them, ur positive energy could be that extra driving force.”
Proteas legend Dale Steyn also weighed in after the victory, saying the Proteas were now well-prepared for the tough games ahead.
“Clawing, fighting our way through games, but, winning is a habit, and this team and their captain are now battle-hardened for the biggest games to come!”
The victory on Sunday (Monday morning in South Africa) also meant that Proteas have advanced to the semi-finals at the tournament alongside England.
IOL Sport