South Africa are hurting after their T20 World Cup final defeat to India, but captain Aidan Markram said his team must be immensely proud of their efforts.
The Proteas needed 30 runs from as many deliveries to clinch the title in Barbados on Saturday.
Instead, the wickets tumbled as India won by seven runs to secure the crown for the first time since 2007.
It was a case of so close, but so far for South Africa, who were playing in their first T20 World Cup semi-final.
While the manner of the defeat stung, Markram refused to be too downbeat.
"I think it'll take some time for us to have a really good reflection on a really good campaign that we've had," Markram said.
"Obviously for the time being, it hurts quite a bit, but having said that, still incredibly proud of this group of players and everyone that's involved in this team.
"A really good game of cricket, so on all fronts, really chuffed with the guys today. Not great to [not] get over the line, but incredibly proud of this group of people that we've got going here in our white-ball squad.
"We got into a great position, which proves that we were worthy finalists and could have won the game today. Unfortunately didn't, but still incredibly proud of the group."
India became only the third team to win the T20 World Cuo more than once, after West Indies (2012 and 2016) and England (2010 and 2022).
Shanaka stars to lead Kandy Falcons to six-wicket win over Dambulla Sixers to kick off 2024 Lanka Premier League
Andre Fletcher’s Kandy Falcons opened the 2024 Lanka Premier League season with a six-wicket win over the Dambulla Sixers at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The Sixers, after being put in to bat by the Falcons, first posted a respectable 179-4 from their 20 overs.
New Zealand’s Mark Chapman led the way with an excellent unbeaten 91* off 61 balls including eight fours and four sixes while Chamindu Wickramsinghe provided excellent support with 62* off 42 balls including four fours and three sixes.
Dasun Shanaka took 3-20 from his four overs for the Falcons.
Then, despite a first-ball duck from Fletcher at the top of the innings, the Falcons successfully reached 183-4 off just 17.2 overs.
Fletcher’s opening partner Dinesh Chandimal led the way with a 40-ball 65 including six fours and three sixes while Shanaka and Angelo Matthews provided the finishing touches with 46* off 15 balls and 37* off 20 balls, respectively.
Full Scores:
Dambulla Sixers 179-4 off 20 overs (Mark Chapman 91*, Chamindu Wickramsinghe 62*, Dasun Shanaka 3-20)
Kandy Falcons 183-4 off 17.2 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 65, Dasun Shanaka 46*, Angelo Matthews 37*)
The league continues on Tuesday with the Jaffna Kings taking on the Galle Marvels at 4:30 AM before the Colombo Strikers take on the Kandy Falcons at 9:00 AM (Jamaica Time).
Both games will be shown live on Sportsmax.
T20 World Cup data dive: Afghanistan duo top the charts, Pooran the big hitter as India and Kohli set final record
The T20 World Cup came to a thrilling conclusion over the weekend, with India clinching their second title by beating South Africa.
Rohit Sharma's side claimed a seven-run win over the Proteas in Barbados on Saturday.
Virat Kohli turned on the style at just the right time, while Jasprit Bumrah starred with the ball.
But what about the standout statistics when looking back at the tournament as a whole?
Afghanistan duo top the charts
Afghanistan were the unlikely semi-finalists as they finished second in Group 1 of the Super 8s, ahead of Australia.
And their deep run owed much to the form of Rahmanullah Gurbaz with the bat and Fazalhaq Farooqi with the ball.
Gurbaz finished as the tournament's top scorer, with 281 runs across his eight innings - an average of 35.12. He had a strike rate of 124.33 and a high score of 80, hitting three half-centuries and plundering 16 sixes and 18 fours.
India captain Rohit was second on the list, 24 runs back (257), with Australia's Travis Head third with 253, though they both boasted a better strike rate than Gurbaz (156.7 and 158.38 respectively).
Farooqi, meanwhile, took a tournament-leading 17 wickets, a tally he shared with India's Arshdeep Singh.
However, while Singh went for 215 runs from his 30 overs, Farooqi conceded just 160 runs from his 25.2 overs, for a bowling economy of 6.31.
Farooqi also finished with the best figures for a single match, taking 5-9 against Uganda on June 3.
India's hero Bumrah, meanwhile, finished with figures of 15-124, while South Africa paceman Anrich Nortje took 15-201.
Pooran the entertainer
West Indies could not get over the line in their home tournament, but that was not for the efforts of Nicholas Pooran, who proved to be the World Cup's great entertainer.
If Pooran was involved, you could bet there would be fun, as he smashed 17 sixes across his seven innings.
He also claimed the tournament's highest score, with his 98 from just 53 balls against Afghanistan on June 17, as the Windies set the highest score of the competition (218-5).
That knock included a remarkable eight maximums, so essentially half of Pooran's total.
Australia's Head struck the most fours (26), while South Africa skipper Aiden Markram was the one to avoid in the field when hitting big.
Markram took eight catches in nine matches, leading the tournament ahead of Harry Brook, Tristen Stubbs and Glenn Maxwell (all seven).
Records tumble in the final
Kohli smashed 76 runs from 59 balls in the final, helping India reach 176-7 - that is the highest score in a men's T20 World Cup final.
India's former captain had managed just 75 runs combined across his previous seven innings before the final, but came into form at the right time.
However, he bowed out of the shortest format having become just the third player to score more than 50 runs in multiple men's T20 World Cup finals, after Marlon Samuels and Kumar Sangakkara.
Yet South Africa looked all set to claim the trophy as they started the chase brilliantly, with Heinrich Klaasen reaching 50 from just 23 deliveries.
It is the fastest half-century in a men's T20 World Cup final, with Klaassen overtaking the previous record, set by Mitchell Marsh in 2021, by eight balls.
But from needing 30 runs from as many deliveries, South Africa collapsed, and India became the third team to win the T20 World Cup on multiple occasions, after West Indies and England.
Pooran makes the cut as winners India has six players in ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Team of the Tournament
Nicholas Pooran is the only West Indies player to make the cut as the ICC named their ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Team of the Tournament on Sunday.
Six players from the title-winning Indian squad have been named in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 team of the tournament.
Rohit Sharma
Runs: 257, Average: 36.71, Strike-rate: 156.7, Fifties: 3
Setting the tone at the top of the order, Rohit Sharma embraced India's new approach in T20Is and showed the way with his brilliant ball striking. Scoring at a rate of 156.7, the Indian skipper made 257 runs in the tournament, the second-most by any player. With three fifties in eight games, Rohit showed consistency as well while maintaining a brilliant strike-rate. His best came against Australia in the Super Eight, when he bludgeoned one of the best attacks in the tournament for 92 in just 41 balls. In the semi-final, he once again made an impact with a 57 off 39 balls. Rohit also led the side admirably as a leader, taking the side to a historic T20 World Cup title win after 17 years.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Runs: 281, Average: 35.12, Strike-rate: 124.33, Fifties: 3
Alongside Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz forged an impressive opening partnership, scoring 446 runs as a pair, including three century stands and was critical to Afghanistan's run to the semi-finals of the tournament. Gurbaz shone with exceptional knocks against Uganda (76), New Zealand (80), Australia (60) and Bangladesh (43). He finished as the leading run-scorer in the tournament and was Afghanistan's star with the bat at the top of the order.
Nicholas Pooran
Runs: 228, Average: 38.0, Strike-rate: 146.15, Fifties: 1
Nicholas Pooran established his status as one of the best batters in the format with 228 runs in the tournament, scoring at a rate of 146.16. The next best West Indies batter made just 140 runs. Pooran finished as the sixth-highest run-getter despite his high-risk batting, and his knock of 98 against Afghanistan guided the team to an excellent win. It was also the highest score recorded by a player in the tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav
Runs: 199, Average: 28.42, Strike-rate: 135.37, Fifties: 2
With two half-centuries and a vital 47 in the semi-final against England, Suryakumar Yadav had a good tournament from the middle-order despite playing on some difficult batting wickets. He made his presence felt in both the knockout games, first with a crucial 47 with the team in trouble in the semi-final against England, and then with one of the best catches the tournament has ever witnessed in a pivotal moment in the final.
Marcus Stoinis
Runs: 169, Strike-rate: 164.07, Wickets: 10, Economy: 8.88
Marcus Stoinis was Australia’s x-factor player in the T20 World Cup, standing out with exceptional knocks against Oman and Scotland. In the game against Oman, he also delivered a crunch performance with the ball, taking 3/19. Despite Australia’s exit before the semi-finals of the tournament, Stoinis stood out with his ability to deliver under pressure.
Hardik Pandya
Runs: 144, Strike-rate: 151.57, Wickets: 11, Economy: 7.64
Hardik Pandya made impactful cameos down the order with the bat and made breakthroughs with the ball when the team needed him to. But his most important contribution came in the final, when he stopped a rampaging Heinrich Klaasen, deceiving him with a slower ball outside off-stump. Hardik went on to deliver an excellent final over to lead India to their title victory. Leading up to the final, he scored more than 20 in four successive matches from down the order, including a half-century against Bangladesh.
Axar Patel
Runs: 92, Strike-rate: 139.39, Wickets: 9, Economy: 7.86
Vital cameos with the bat, one of the best catches in the tournament, and crucial spells with the ball, Axar Patel did it all through the T20 World Cup. His ability to adapt to different roles and make impactful performances proved critical to India's title-winning charge. In the final, promoted up the order, Axar made a brilliant, counter-attacking 47 that helped Virat Kohli settle in and play the anchor role. In the semi-finals, he produced a Player of the Match performance against England, taking 3/23 with the ball.
Axar Patel takes ‘unbelievable’ catch to remove Australia’s captain | AUS v IND | T20WC 2024
Rashid Khan
Wickets: 14, Average: 12.78, Economy: 6.17, Best: 4/17
Rashid Khan led the Afghanistan team brilliantly, producing impressive performances with the ball as the team created history with a semi-final entry. Rashid took 14 wickets in the tournament, bowling at a brilliant economy rate of 6.17. The Afghanistan spinner finished as the fifth-highest wicket-taker with his clutch performance against Bangladesh (4/23 and 19*) helping the team reach the semi-final. He also took 4/17 in their win over New Zealand earlier in the tournament to inspire the team past the Group stage.
Jasprit Bumrah
Wickets: 15, Average: 8.26, Economy: 4.17, Best: 3/7
The Player of the Tournament and India's trump card in their title win, Jasprit Bumrah was unstoppable. More than the 15 wickets he took, his impact in restricting the scoring rate of teams made Bumrah India's most important player right through the tournament. His economy rate of 4.17 is the best ever by any bowler in a single edition of the men's T20 World Cup.
Arshdeep Singh
Wickets: 17, Average: 12.64, Economy: 7.16, Best: 4/9
Arshdeep Singh finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 wickets in eight matches. The left-arm fast bowler was the perfect foil for Jasprit Bumrah with the ball and shone with his early Powerplay spells. In the final, Arshdeep played a vital role in India's win, taking the big wicket of Quinton de Kock at a crucial point in the match and then went on to bowl a brilliant penultimate over, conceding just four runs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Wickets: 17, Average: 9.41, Economy: 6.31, Best: 5/9
The joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament, Farooqi played a major role in guiding Afghanistan to a historic first semi-final appearance. His 17 wickets came at a brilliant economy rate of 6.31 and the left-arm quick made early inroads into the opposition line-up to put Afghanistan on top in several games. He took 5/9 against Uganda in the best spell of the tournament and also helped Afghanistan beat New Zealand with a four-wicket haul.
12th man: Anrich Nortje
Wickets: 15, Average: 13.4, Economy: 5.74, Best: 4/7
Anrich Nortje had a brilliant tournament with the ball, using his pace and extra bounce to keep batters quiet. Nortje began the tournament with a brilliant 4/7 against Sri Lanka and took at least one wicket in all but one match. In the final, he was the pick of South Africa’s bowlers with figures of 2/26 in his four overs.
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