T20 World Cup 2024: Nothing to fear, says South Africa captain Markram after reaching final

After leading South Africa to their first T20 World Cup final, captain Aiden Markram urged his players to remain calm and not be “afraid” of the title challenge.

South Africa defeated Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semi-final and now await the winners of the second last-four clash between India and England.

“It’s another step for us, it (the final) is an opportunity we’ve never had before, nothing to be afraid of,” Markram said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“This win means a lot. We have some world-class players in the squad, but like I said, it takes a whole squad to achieve such a performance.” Markram praised his bowlers for bowling out Afghanistan for a modest 56.

“We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it very simple. The bowlers were incredible for us.” Markram said batting was a bit challenging on the pitch, which offered a pronounced seam movement.

“It was a challenge with the bat because no batsman will lie and tell you it was easy there. We got a bit lucky and got a bit of a partnership after that.” The 29-year-old said the entire team was relieved after the match ended with ease.

“We’ve had a few close games and a few people at home would have woken up early with more gray hair. I’m glad today was a bit more reassuring,” he added.

Player of the match Marco Jansen, who took three early wickets, said they focused on keeping the ball in the right areas.

“Great feeling. The boys played very well, we executed perfectly. We just wanted to stick to our plan, bowl good lengths and see how the wicket reacts.

“The wicket opened up a bit and it was about keeping it simple.”

Difficult for us: Rashid Khan

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan could not hide his disappointment after going down to South Africa in a one-sided semi-final.

“It was tough for us as a team. We might have done better but the conditions didn’t allow us to do what we wanted. That’s how T20 cricket is, you have to be prepared for all conditions,” said a dejected Rashid.

However, the spinner believes that his side, which reached the first semi-finals, has learned a lot from this tournament.

“It’s just the beginning for us, we have the confidence and belief to beat any side. We just have to maintain our processes. This has been a great learning experience for us.

“What we take from the competition is the belief. We know we have the skills, it’s just about dealing with difficult and pressure situations,” he noted.

Is there an area he can improve as a team? “Yes, there is still some work to be done, especially in the middle order to get the innings deep. We have had good results so far but we will come back and put in more hard work, especially in the batting department.” Rashid credited the South African pacers for sticking to their guns in a great way.

“I think they bowled very well. I think we have had a lot of success in this tournament because the seamers bowled very well. You need good starts (when bowlers are at the top).” The 25-year-old said the Afghan bowlers also did well during the event.

“I think we were unlucky with Mujeeb’s injury but our players and even (Mohammad) Nabi bowled brilliantly with the new ball. That made our job as spinners easier.

We will accept playing a semi-final and losing to a top team like South Africa,” he added.