South African batter David Miller expressed his disappointment over his dismissal in the final over of the T20 World Cup final against India. He admitted feeling like he had let his country down.
David Miller reflects on T20 World Cup final dismissal
Miller was batting on 21 off 16 deliveries, with South Africa needing 16 runs from the last six balls. He attempted to hit a wide full toss from Hardik Pandya over the boundary for a six. However, Suryakumar Yadav's exceptional running catch at the boundary line prevented the ball from clearing the boundary, leaving South Africa still needing 10 runs from five balls.
Pandya's Heroics Seal India's Victory
Despite Kagiso Rabada hitting a four in the following delivery, Hardik Pandya managed to restrict South Africa's scoring in the final four balls, securing a seven-run victory for India. This win ended India's 11-year drought of ICC trophies. For South Africa, the T20 World Cup final was the closest they had come to winning a major international tournament since the inaugural ICC Champions Trophy in 1998. David Miller, in particular, is still struggling to move on from the heartbreaking defeat in Barbados.
“I watch a lot of different sport and I always talk about ’the moment’. There are always moments to win the game and I suppose that was the moment to win the game. And it wasn’t to be for me,” Miller told ESPNCricinfo.
“I felt like I let the country down, I’ve myself down, I’ve let my teammates down. So it’s quite a difficult moment to unwrap. It was a very hollow feeling, I almost just didn’t want to walk off the field, wanted to have another go. So it’s a bit cruel, but such is life. Like I said, there’s many other people, sportsmen that have had really tough moments to try and get over, and I’m not the only person it has happened to,” Miller added.
South Africa's heartbreaking loss in T20 World Cup final
South Africa, reaching their first World Cup final in either white-ball format after defeating Afghanistan in the semi-finals, were given a target of 177 by India, who had opted to bat first. The Proteas made a shaky start, losing two early wickets, but recovered with solid contributions from Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs. Heinrich Klaasen's explosive half-century, including five sixes and two fours, brought South Africa within touching distance of the target, requiring just 26 runs from 24 balls with six wickets remaining. However, Pandya's dismissal of Klaasen at the start of the 17th over turned the tide in India's favor. India conceded only 10 runs in the next three overs while taking two wickets, putting pressure on South Africa. Pandya's outstanding final over, in which he conceded six runs and dismissed two South African batsmen, including Rabada, sealed India's victory and ended their long-standing drought of ICC tournament wins.
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