South Africa’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup were dashed after they suffered a shock defeat against the Netherlands in their final group match in Adelaide on Sunday. The Proteas were in an advantageous position to enter the last four stage, but were eventually stranded on five points from as many games.
Ultimately, India (eight points) and Pakistan (six points) advanced to the semi-finals from Group 2. Following the defeat to the Netherlands, Cricket South Africa (CSA) issued an official statement, expressing their “disappointment” over the Proteas’ shock exit from the tournament.
“The reality is that the Team did not perform to expectations, which occasioned this disappointing outcome. It is our duty to regroup and rebuild based on our glaring shortcomings at the T20 World Cup,” the statement read.
The statement also added that the management had hopes that the Proteas will reach the final.
“The Proteas went to the ICC T20 World Cup with high hopes that they would make it to the final. CSA supported the team on their campaign and held high hopes that they will carry through. It is unfortunate that they did not make it as we had all hoped. However, it is incumbent to support them into the future.
“It is evidently hard for all of us to be faced with this disappointment. However, our focus should be rebuilding the team for future success. Lessons learnt from this experience will be inculcated into strategies to redeem from the weaknesses and build a formidable attack in future,” the statement added.
New Zealand will take on Pakistan in the first semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
