World Cup 2023: How South Africa failed to clear the semi-final hurdle against Australia

South Africa came close, yet so far, in the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia in Kolkata on Thursday.

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While at the start of the match, South Africa struggled for runs in overcast conditions, a valiant century from David Miller (101) and a handy knock from Heinrich Klaasen (47) led South Africa to 212.



Still, that total was below-par, but it was the bowlers who gave the Proteas a fighting chance in the contest.

Although Australia started strongly with David Warner and Travis Head forging a 60-run stand for the opening wicket, South Africa’s bowlers fought tooth and nail before going down.

Also read: Aussies’ record eighth final, David Warner joins elite list and more stats

More importantly, they took the game as deep as they could, before succumbing to the inevitable defeat, as Australia secured a World Cup final date with India with a three-wicket win.

Unfortunately, for the Proteas, who are synonymous for their “chokers” tag in ICC events, a maiden World Cup final wasn’t meant to be.

In fact, there were more wrongs than rights for Temba Bavuma and Co. Let’s take a look at where South Africa lost the plot against Australia:

Dropped catches

By no means can we say South Africa choked this time. Especially in the run chase. However, there were a few chances which the Proteas should have taken, a few dropped chances.

The South African fielders dropped as many as five catches on Thursday, but most of them were tough. There first dropped catch was in the 12th over, when Travis Head was on strike. Head had played the cut towards deep point, and Reeza Hendricks, running from sweeper cover, put up a diving effort only for him to lose the grasp of the ball.

Just three overs later, in the 14th, South Africa had the opportunity to get rid of Steve Smith, but Bavuma, running in from backward square went for the dive but fell just short.

Lack of slip fielders were a major cause of concern for the Proteas and in the same over, Klaasen had a tough chance to dismiss Head, but eventually went begging.

Quinton de Kock would also go onto drop a catch in the 18th over, but not once, but twice during the match he dropped catches. Arguably his costliest drop catch came in the 45th over, when de Kock just couldn’t get hold of the ball following a drive from Pat Cummins, with Australia skipper getting a slight inside edge off his bat.

They say catches win matches, and this is where the game could have changed completely had the Proteas been successful in these attempts.

Too many extras

Apart from dropped catches, extras cost South Africa dearly. Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen were mainly the culprits of conceding extras.

Jansen struggled with his line and length on more than one occasion and ended up giving four wides, whereas Shamsi bowled as many as three out of his five wides to Marnus Labuschagne.

In total, the Proteas conceded as many as 17 extras, including three leg byes, 12 wides and two no-balls.

Slow start to their batting

South Africa had opted to bat in overcast conditions, but their decision to do certainly backfired. There was swing and bounce from the Australia pacers early on, especially Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who opened Australia’s bowling attack.

And Temba Bavuma, the South Africa skipper, playing this game despite being not “100 per cent fit” only raised more questions than getting answers.

Bavuma, in fact, was dismissed for a four-ball duck, and the Proteas’  top order collapse amid a slow start did not help their case.

Quinton de Kock, playing his last ODI for South Africa, felt the pressure, and fell to a Hazlewood length ball and miscued to Cummins at mid-on. He was dismissed for just three off 14 balls. And that was South Africa’s top run-scorer this World Cup.

Starc would get the wickets of Bavuma and Markram, whereas Hazlewood dismissed de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen.

Read | Bavuma rues poor powerplays after SA go down fighting against AUS

Proteas were off to a slow start to their innings, so much so that they were going at less than two runs per over at one stage.

It was almost like Test match cricket at the start, until the first boundary of the day came from Markram, flicking over square leg off Starc’s ball for a four in the ninth over.

South Africa would get to the 50-run mark in 16.5 overs, but by then the Proteas had lost their top four batters, and had it not been for the Klaasen-Miller stand, things could have ended a lot worse for the Proteas.