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South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada gave his signed jersey to Afghanistan’s bowling consultant Dwayne Bravo. The gesture came after the Proteas beat Rashid Khan and Co. by nine wickets in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinals in Trinidad on Wednesday, June 26.
Rabada has established himself as one of the best pacers of the modern era. The 29-year-old scalped two wickets against Afghanistan to finish with 2/14, including a maiden in his three overs.
The Johannesburg-born speedster has bagged 12 wickets in eight matches at the ICC event. He will be keen to deliver in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados as the Proteas aim to win their first-ever World Cup trophy across any format.
On the other hand, Bravo played a significant role as Afghanistan reached the last four. His bowling tips helped Afghanistan beat New Zealand and Australia along the way.
In a video shared by the ICC on Instagram, Bravo was seen smiling after Rabada's kind gesture. Watch the clip below:
“The bowlers have been incredible for us” – Aiden Markram credits South Africa bowlers after qualifying for 2024 T20 World Cup final
South Africa captain Aiden Markram lauded his bowling unit as they bundled out Afghanistan for just 56 runs in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal. He said at the post-match presentation:
“We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it really simple. The bowlers have been incredible for us.”
Markram is delighted to lead South Africa in their first-ever T20 World Cup final. He backed the Protea's to play with a fearless mindset in search of only their second ICC trophy after the 1998 Champions Trophy:
“It is one more step for us, it is an opportunity we have never had, nothing to be scared of. This win means a lot, we have some world-class players. It takes a whole squad to be able to deliver such a performance.”
Afghanistan, meanwhile, exited the tournament on a heartbreaking note but captain Rashid Khan was pleased with his team's performances and felt they learned a lot. Rashid said:
“It was tough, tough for us as a team. We might have done better but the conditions didn't allow us to do what we wanted. That's how T20 cricket is, you need to be ready for all conditions."
He added:
“We have enjoyed this tournament. We will accept playing a semi-final and losing to a top side like Africa. It is just the beginning for us, we have the confidence and belief to beat any side. We need to keep our processes. This has been a great learning experience for us. What we take from the competition is the belief."
“As I said, it is always learning for our team and we have achieved good results so far but we will come back doing more hard work, specially in the batting department."
South Africa will play either India or England in the summit clash, scheduled to be played in Barbados on June 29.
