Kolkata, India

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma conceded that Australia were ruthless early on with the ball in the second semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2023. South Africa once again failed to reach the final of the quadrennial tournament despite being in good form this time.

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"The conditions, combined with the quality of the attack. I thought [Josh] Hazlewood as well as [Mitchell] Starc upfront were ruthless. They exploited every bit of advantage that was presented to them with the conditions and they really put us under pressure," Bavuma said after the three-wicket loss on November 16.

South Africa recorded the second lowest powerplay score - 18/2 - in the World Cup 2023 despite winning the toss and electing to bat first in Kolkata. They were soon four wickets down and the skipper acknowledged that it was always going to be a struggle after that.

Also Watch: VIRAL VIDEO | India skipper Rohit MIMICS Shreyas Iyer's century celebration in semi-final

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"When you're 4 for 24, you're always going to struggle to get a competitive total," said the Proteas skipper.

He, however, gave due credit to Australia, who were also put under pressure by South African bowlers in a chase of 213 irrespective of the flying start given by David Warner and Travis Head.

"They were outstanding for a large part of the game and thoroughly deserved victory. Looking at the result, I think the way we started with the bat and the ball was probably the turning point. We lost it quite badly there and we always had to play catch-up to get ourselves back into the game," Bavuma said.

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After losing the first four wickets quickly, David Miller scored a hundred as South Africa crossed the 200-run mark. While bowling, SA spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj along with young speedster Gerald Coetzee kept the Aussies on their toes but the five-time winners eventually prevailed.

Australia will now face India in a replay of the 2003 ODI World Cup final on November 19 in Ahmedabad.