(AP Photo)
After leading South Africa to their first-ever T20 World Cup final, captain Aiden Markram encouraged his team to remain composed and not to be “scared” of the upcoming title match.
South Africa dominated Afghanistan with a nine-wicket victory in the first semifinal and now awaits the winner of the second semifinal between India and England.
“It is one more step for us, it (the final) is an opportunity we have never had, nothing to be scared of,” said Markram in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“This win means a lot. We have some world-class players in the side but like I said, it takes a whole squad to be able to deliver such a performance.”
Markram praised his bowlers for dismissing Afghanistan for a mere 56 runs.
“We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it really simple. The bowlers have been incredible for us.”
Markram noted that batting was somewhat difficult due to the pitch’s significant seam movement.
“It was challenging with the bat, as no batter is going to lie and tell you it was easy out there. We had a bit of luck and then got a bit of a partnership.”
The 29-year-old expressed that the entire team felt relieved after comfortably closing out the match.
“We have had a few close games and a few people back home would have woken up early with more grey hairs. Glad today was a bit more comforting,” he added.
“Awesome feeling. The guys played really well, we executed perfectly. We just wanted to stick to our plan, bowl good lengths and see how the wicket reacts.
“The wicket was getting a bit open, and it was about keeping it simple.”
