Temba Bavuma, the South African captain, is not usually seen displaying a lot of emotions during matches. But he couldn’t contain his excitement and jumped for joy when Keshav Maharaj scored the winning runs for South Africa against Pakistan in their 2023 World Cup game in Chennai on October 27.
In a video shared by ICC, the South African support staff and a few players like David Miller, Bavuma, and Kagiso Rabada were visibly anxious while waiting in the dugout.
But when Keshav Maharaj hit a boundary, everyone in the dugout celebrated, and Temba Bavuma jumped with joy. Others in the dugout were also very happy about the thrilling win. You can watch the video here:
We let Pakistan have a chance to play in the game: Temba Bavuma
After the game, Temba Bavuma admitted that South Africa didn’t perform as smoothly as they wanted in their chase. They went from 206/5 to 260/9, but luckily, some decisions favored them, helping them win.
Bavuma acknowledged that South Africa had luck on their side and said:
“Look, it’s easier for us to have conversations now with regards to our run chase. We’ve got the result on our side. I mean, I do think we could have shown up a lot more of a clinical display in going about that run chase.”
”I think we did have luck on our side. We did give them opportunities to get into the game. But fortunately for us, I think the gods were with us.”
South Africa’s victory over Pakistan places them at the table’s top, and one more win would almost guarantee their spot in the semifinals, mainly due to their outstanding net run rate.
With four losses in six matches, Pakistan is now on a tough journey to make it to the World Cup semi-finals. Their chances depend on winning their remaining three matches and hoping that other games go their way.
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