The Proteas enter today’s encounter against Zimbabwe having already secured their T20 World Cup semifinal berth and will somewhat use the game to prepare for the task that lies ahead of them.
South Africa crushed and powered their way to the semis over the West Indies on Thursday afternoon in Ahmedabad with a comprehensive nine-wicket win and sits atop Group 1 with two wins.
Captain Aiden Markram was once again the star of the show, as he produced a special performance with his 82 (not out) from just 46 deliveries, helping his side rack up their sixth straight victory of the tournament and maintain their unbeaten run.
“It doesn’t feel easy, to be honest. In every game and every meeting we have, the boys are fully locked in,” Markram said.
“We’ve been on good and bad sides at World Cups, so it’s definitely not something this group would take for granted. The guys have a lot of pride and are really on a mission to try to achieve something.”
It was also a good day at the office for star seamer Kagiso Rabada, who finally got off the mark for the Proteas, in what has been a frustrating campaign for him. “He [Rabada] has been leading from the front, as he’s always done. It doesn’t always reflect in the numbers and performance.
“But behind closed doors, Rabada has been putting a lot of love into the team and sharing a lot of information with the guys,” Markram said, as he reflected on Rabada’s 2/22, where he claimed the crucial wickets of Windies dangerman Shimron Hetmyer and skipper Shai Hope.
South Africa have shown their attacking prowess both with the ball and bat.
They have already beaten the favourites and defending champions, India, and are now looking like a team on a serious mission to get closer to the trophy they missed out on by a whisker two years ago.
The victories against New Zealand, India, and the West Indies surely sent a message to the rest of the remaining teams in the competition that the Proteas mean business and are out for redemption in the T20 World Cup.
The semis are set to be played between Wednesday and Thursday, before the final on Sunday.
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