South Africa may have lost their fifth semifinal and once again returned home empty-handed from their ninth World Cup but the 2023 version of the tournament will be remembered, in time, as their best yet. Until they reach a final, or win one, of course.
The Proteas won seven out of ten matches, more than ever before on the game’s biggest stage, and they did so by playing some of the most exciting and watchable cricket in the entire tournament.
Five totals in excess of 350 when batting first cast a pall of fear among the other nations as the semifinal stages approached and television audiences worldwide made a note to watch when South Africa were batting. They were bold and true to their pre-tournament intention of playing without a ‘fear of failure.’
Quinton de Kock more than atoned for the disappointments of his previous World Cups in 2015, when he was hampered by injury and 2019 when was fatigued by the IPL which finished just before the tournament, by scoring four glorious centuries before retiring from ODI cricket. He finished with a total of 594 runs, the third highest behind the Indian pair of Virat Kohli (765) and Rohit Sharma (597).
🇿🇦 Most runs for South Africa at a CWC
— ICC (@ICC) November 2, 2023
📈 Most runs after seven innings at a CWC
💯 Joint-second most centuries at a CWC
The Quinton de Kock show rolls on at #CWC23 📹 https://t.co/lIHTKT8GrX pic.twitter.com/JkMiB980pQ
Aiden Markram set a new World Cup record for the fastest century from just 47 balls against Bangladesh although it was short-lived with Australian Glenn Maxwell reaching three figures from 40 balls against the Netherlands just a couple of weeks later.
Rassie van der Dussen’s reassuring calm and consistency saw him finish the tournament in ninth place with 448 runs including two hundreds while Markram (406) also passed 400. Heinrich Klaasen scored 373 runs at a strike rate of 133.21 which was bettered only by Maxwell (400 runs at 150.37). David Miller’s heroic but ultimately unsuccessful century in the semifinal left him with an aggregate of 356. All five did more than live up to hopes and expectations, they exceeded them.
But it was in the final 10 overs that the Proteas power-packed middle-order really caught the eye smashing 143 against England with Klaasen reaching 100 from 67 balls and Marco Jansen joining the fun with a career-best 75* from just 42. They took another 144 from the last 60 balls against Bangladesh, too. Against New Zealand the last 10 overs yielded a ‘modest’ 119 runs.
But the Proteas didn’t qualify for the semifinals with two games to spare merely through weight of runs. Five games were won by 100+ runs with England suffering their heaviest ever defeat in the format, by 229 runs. That required plenty of wickets.
💔#CWC23 #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/hAwKizlZk4
— ICC (@ICC) November 16, 2023
Gerald Coetzee, the youngest member of the squad, was regarded as the ‘find’ of the tournament with 20 wickets in just eight games but head coach, Rob Walter, knew exactly how much potential he was selecting when he announced the squad. Indeed, Coetzee’s haul matched that of India’s spearhead, Jarprit Bumrah, just four behind Mohammad Shami’s collection of 24 wickets.
Marco Jansen suffered an expensive game against India (1-94) but his 17 wickets in the tournament included the most by any bowler in the first Power Play (12) and went a long way to winning at least five matches.
Kagiso Rabada (13) was back to his best and, although he claimed only 13 wickets, his economy rate – under five runs per over – was among the best of the frontline fast bowlers in the tournament.
Lead spinner Keshav Maharaj’s form was so impressive that he rose to the No 1 ranking in the world by the end of the competition with his 15 wickets coming at an economy rate of just 4.15, the second lowest in the tournament behind Bumrah.
Forever etched in history 😍#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/pxYyRjLsvm
— ICC (@ICC) November 19, 2023
South Africa’s early loss to the Netherlands may have been inconsequential to their semifinal qualification but it may have played a part in their eventual loss to Australia by three-wickets in their knockout clash. Having restricted the Men-in-Orange to a 140-7 only to see captain Scott Edwards (78*) lead them to 245-8, the Proteas crashed to 44-4 and could never recover.
Although they denied having a ‘problem’ chasing targets rather than setting them, it confirmed the belief that they were certainly a lot better batting first than second. The perception was enhanced again when Maharaj and numbers 10 & 11, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi, nervously inched to a thrilling one-wicket victory against Pakistan four games later.
Both results almost certainly contributed to captain Temba Bavuma’s decision to bat first in the semifinal at Eden Gardens despite thunderously grey clouds and a pitch inevitably set to assist fast bowlers having spent the best part of 24-hours under cover.
🏆 Back in 🇦🇺 #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/QqLAdBQb5S
— ICC (@ICC) November 28, 2023
To be fair, neither team realised just how difficult batting would be for the first 20 overs of the contest and Australian captain, Pat Cummins, said he, too, would have batted first. Survival was the limit of the Proteas’ ambitions during that time but they slumped to 24-4 in 12 overs and, despite a gutsy 101 from Miller, they could muster only 212 all out.
Nonetheless, the Aussies crashed to 137-5 on a pitch offering prodigious turn under lights but when Maharaj (1-24) and Shamsi (2-42) have bowled their 10 overs each, the eventual champions were able to limp to victory.
🏆 Fastest ever CWC century
— ICC (@ICC) November 29, 2023
🇦🇺 Equal fastest Australia Men's T20I century
Glenn Maxwell has been on 🔥 in India
More 👉 https://t.co/wL2huxAWSL pic.twitter.com/y0w6BfzBQg
The next edition of the World Cup will be hosted by South Africa in 2027 with some games played in Zimbabwe and Namibia. Familiar conditions will undoubtedly benefit the home side and hope will, once again, rise among players and supporters in the months before the tournament begins. As it always does.