'Not over 350': SA skipper Bavuma says target was 'above-par' for them to chase in Champions Trophy semis vs NZ
After losing the first wicket for 20 runs, Bavuma (56) and van der Dussen (69) added 105 runs for the second wicket but the skipper's wicket in the 23rd over opened the game for the Kiwis.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma has lamented his and Rassie van der Dussen's wickets as the turning point for their loss in the Champions Trophy semi-final against New Zealand on Mar 5 in Lahore, Pakistan. Chasing the historic 363, SA choked again and lost the match by 50 runs after managing 312/9 in 50 overs.
"Ideally, you would've wanted the both of us to keep going - at least till the 30th over. We know how destructive our middle order can be when they're coming in that last 20 overs," Bavuma said at the post-match presentation.
"Unfortunately, we weren't able to set that foundation for them. Little bit of a soft dismissal, at least from my side. I think that just left too much for our middle order," he added.
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After losing the first wicket for 20 runs, Bavuma (56) and van der Dussen (69) added 105 runs for the second wicket but the skipper's wicket in the 23rd over opened the game for the Kiwis. Bavuma also conceded that the 362-run target was 'above-par' and they'd have liked something close to 350.
"Yeah, look, I do think it [target] was above par. I think as well as they bat, we felt that if [the target was] anything around 350 - not over 350 - we'd back ourselves to chase the score with the wicket hopefully getting better," Bavuma said.
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"But yeah, 360 was always going to be tough. It was always going to require someone to play well. We had David who did that, but we probably needed someone else as well," he added.
David Miller, who scored unbeaten 100 off 67 balls, also came under scrutiny for changing gears too late in the chase. He was 52 off 49 balls at one point and went on to score the next 48 runs in about 18 balls - getting everybody talking about why not attack before.
Nonetheless, New Zealand now face India in Champions Trophy 2025 Final on Mar 9 in Dubai.
