South Africa lost their fifth World Cup semi-final to Australia in Kolkata, after they played some remarkable cricket during the tournament. Here are the player ratings for the South Africa squad.
Quinton de Kock – 9
10 matches, 594 runs at 59.40, SR: 107.02, HS: 174
A breathtaking farewell tournament for de Kock. His fifth century contributed to South Africa’s success in the group stage and he came alive behind the stumps in the semi-final. His last strike in ODI cricket came in at 3 off 14 balls and he was unable to repeat the 100 he scored against Australia in the group stage. However, his innings of choice was the 174th innings against Bangladesh, where he played his role perfectly and prepared the next attack of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller.
Temba Bavuma – 2
8 matches, 145 runs at 18.12, SR: 73.60, HS: 35
Bavuma’s tournament will go down in history as a controversial tournament. He again led South Africa to the semi-finals of the tournament, but failed to outperform their previous Proteas captain. He used the bat poorly and was completely unable to adapt to most games. Nevertheless, his position in the team is vital and he deserves credit for the type of cricket that South Africa introduced.
Rassie van der Dussen – 8
10 matches, 448 runs at 49.77, SR: 84.52, HS: 133
For van der Dussen, it was a breakthrough tournament in some ways. Regardless of his position on the team in recent years, he entered the tournament as the most pressured batter. A century in his first match dissolved it and it became unimaginable that he would be dropped in the next game against New Zealand. As his No. 3 anchor, he bridges the gap between the big batsmen at the beginning and end.
Reeza Hendricks – 6
2 matches, 97 runs at 48.50, SR: 103.19, HS: 85
Hendricks played in only two games, but was still able to replace Bavuma in the semifinals. He played a key role against England, scoring 85 points even after de Kock’s early exit, but had a less impressive performance against the Netherlands.
Aiden Markram – 7
10 matches, 406 runs at 45.11, SR: 110.92, HS: 106
1 wicket at 85.00, ER: 4.59, BBI: 1-23
Markram opened the South African Games with the 100th fastest time in history at the time. This completed his remarkable ODI breakthrough this year, with him proving to be versatile both as an anchor and as a batsman. He did score well in other important innings against Bangladesh and Pakistan, but slumped in the second half, similar to the match against South Africa earlier in the season.
David Miller – 8
10 matches, 356 runs at 44.5o, SR: 107.87, HS: 101
Miller finished the tournament as the first South African player to score the first century in the final tournament of the Men’s World Cup. It was a different type of innings than the Miller innings we are used to. He scored 101 runs off 116 balls and it was entirely up to him to ensure a good result. Some of his other performances were even more brutal, such as his 53 off 30 balls against New Zealand. Along with Klaasen, he carved out a role as South Africa’s great finishers and they played that role admirably throughout the tournament.
Heinrich Klaasen – 8
10 matches, 373 runs at 41.44, SR: 133.21, HS: 109
When assessing Claasen’s campaign, it is difficult to think beyond his century against England. In the intense heat, he threw 109 of 67 pitches and suffered severe cramps that forced the defending champion to the clean room. He scored 90 against Bangladesh and scored an important 47 today, but this blow will forever be a reminder of his brutality.
Marco Jansen – 7
9 matches, 17 wickets at 26.47, ER: 6.52, BBI: 3-31
157 runs at 31.40, SR: 110.56, HS: 75*
Janssen was undoubtedly the most important player on the South African national team. The lack of an all-rounder put him under pressure with both bat and ball, batting at number eight and opening the bowling. His 75* against England, along with his decisive knock against Pakistan, showed that he was more than capable in the former, while his 17 wickets indicate his importance in the latter. In Anrich Nortje’s absence, Jansen was under pressure to step up and keep up with the senior bowlers, and in fact he outperformed them all.
Gerald Coetzee – 8
8 matches, 20 wickets at 19.80, ER: 6.23, BBI: 4-44
Coetzee, South Africa’s rising star at this tournament, has made a name for himself on the international stage. Although he was only a substitute for Nortje in the team, he was preferred over Lungi Ngidi in the semi-finals when Tabraiz Shamsi was absent. After all, he is South Africa’s leading wicket-taker, and he is the only one who has failed to take at least two of his wickets in an innings.
Kagiso Rabada – 6
9 matches, 13 wickets at 28.00, ER: 4.99, BBI: 3-33
Rabada performed reasonably well in the tournament, but did not reach his own high standards. However, it must be remembered that he acted almost exclusively as a first-change bowler, allowing others to use the new ball.
Keshav Maharaj – 8
10 matches, 15 wickets at 24.66, ER: 4.15, BBI: 47.5-46
59 runs at 19.66, SR: 73.75, HS: 40
Maharaj’s performance in the semi-finals brought South Africa much closer to reaching the final. He beat Travis Head with the first ball of the spell and looked dangerous throughout. He rarely threw loose balls and wasn’t afraid to throw the ball up. The innings in which he swung the bat against Pakistan was also very important.
Tabraiz Shamsi –
4 matches, 9 wickets at 23.55, ER: 5.60, BBI: 4-60
Shamsi played just four matches and played the role of a luxurious spinner who changed pitches. But he still made a big impression. He won the Player of the Match award for his four runs against Pakistan, where no other spinner could take a wicket. And he threw some rippers against Australia in the semi-finals.
Lungi Ngidi – 4
8 matches, 10 wickets at 35.50, ER: 5.86, BBI: 2-26
Ngidi took 10 wickets and bowled decently for the most part, but he remained in the spotlight along with Coetzee’s aggressiveness. He also struggled in South Africa’s last two group games against India and Afghanistan. When it was decided which sailors would be eliminated from the semi-finals, Ngidi was eliminated.
Andile Phehlukwayo – 6
1 match, 1 wicket at 36.00, ER: 5.14, BBI: 1-36
39 runs, SR: 105.40, HS: 39*
For Phehlukwayo, it was the only match of the tournament where he performed well with both bat and ball.
Lizaad Williams – 5
1 match, 2 wickets at 28.00, ER: 6.46, BBI: 2-56
Williams took two wickets in his only appearance. No wonder he didn’t factor into their plans much considering he was South Africa’s second substitute when Sisanda Magala was injured.
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