South Africa’s premier batsman David Miller, has opened up about the heartbreaking 7-run loss to India in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. His dismissal in the final over proved to be a turning point in the match.
An Instagram post that IANS quoted read: “I am gutted!! Really tough pill to swallow after what transpired 2 days ago. Words don’t explain how I am feeling. One thing I do know is how proud I am of this unit.”
South Africa’s men cricket team reached their first ever world cup final only for another heart breaking defeat. It is worth noting that Proteas have had a long-standing history of near misses in ICC tournaments and participating in seven semifinals without clinching any championship.
David Miller has experienced such disappointment before; he was a member of the team that lost to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinal and to New Zealand during the 2015 semis.
Despite this disappointment, Miller believes there is hope for South Africa. He acknowledged his teammates’ efforts throughout the tournament and mentioned some of them by name.
“This journey was incredible with highs and lows throughout the entire month. We have pain but trust me on this one, this team has resilience which will keep raising bars,” he wrote.
In pursuit of a target of 177 runs set during finals, South Africa were at good position to win it all.
The Indian bowlers however took momentum from South Africans who were looking forward towards getting a victory since they appeared nearing it. As Suryakumar Yadav caught him at long-off, Miller who was on 21 runs at that moment – it was clearly an outstanding catch at boundary which turned out changing everything leading India into victory.
Up until Miller got out, Proteas looked like they would win easily. But his dismissal denied South African dreams making them short on target hence their still searching for their first world cup.
