It’s one small step for South Africa and one giant leap for men’s Proteas teams in Cricket World Cups, and spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has revealed why the side have at last gone where none of their predecessors have gone before since 1992.
South Africa were at their ruthless best in their T20 World Cup semi-final against Afghanistan in Tarouba on Thursday morning SA time, first rolling them for 56 before knocking off the small total with nine wickets remaining in 8.5 overs.
Ahead of the clash, it was no secret that an SA men’s team had never made it past the semi-final of a Cricket World Cup and that would have weighed heavily on the shoulders of the players.
However, as Shamsi (who claimed figures of 3/6) explained that there are no clear match-winners in this Proteas team and that has helped eased the burden.
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Team effort
In fact, it sounded a lot like the Springboks’ philosophy of “Stronger Together” that has seen them win two Rugby World Cups in a row.
“No one in this team is given the responsibility of winning the game. Maybe other teams or Proteas teams of the past, there was a specific batter or bowler that was relied upon,” said Shamsi.
Adding credence to his comments, against Afghanistan Marco Jansen started the ball rolling with 3/16 while Kagiso Rabada (2/14) and Anrich Nortje (2/7) helped clean up the rest of the opposition batting line-up.
“I personally cannot pin-point which batter or bowler is responsible for making us win. In most teams if you get one or two main batters out, the team panics. With us, who’s that guy? Everyone is responsible for doing their bit and that’s just the way we’ve rolled.
“If somebody gets a duck or a bowler goes for four or 50 runs, it’s not the end of the world. There will be another bowler that covers, or batsman. It’s the way we operate, and we’re comfortable with it.
“It’s helped the nerves because if something goes wrong we have no issues because somebody will cover.”
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One step closer
Making it to the final was incredibly special said Shamsi.
“It’s a proud moment. We’ve had great teams in the past. This is for the whole country and the players that have played before us. It’s another step closer to achieving the goal we came here to achieve.”
One such star Proteas player who never made it to a Cricket World Cup final, Dale Steyn was on hand to personally congratulate Shamsi.
“I actually did speak to him [Dale Steyn] after the game now and he gave me a massive hug. The players before us laid the foundation for the team to progress.”
Shamsi also pointed out that this Proteas team have shown their mettle every time in tight situations in this World Cup, as folding under pressure was seen as the norm with previous SA outfits.
“This World Cup, we had seven close games. We got over the line every single time. That narrative of us not doing well in tight situations, I think we’ve answered that question enough times in this tournament.”