NEW DELHI: “The favourite.” That’s a label that weighs heavily on South Africa’s shoulders, given their history of choking up at ICC events across the globe. However, the new-look team appears to have turned a new page after ending its championship drought by winning the World Test Championship (WTC) crown at Lord’s last June.Eight months later, the Aiden Markram-led side appear to be on course for another world title in the T20 World Cup and remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament. South Africa have won all six of their games to seal a semi-final spot and their final Super 8 match against Zimbabwe at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday turned into an inconsequential draw.
While South African batting coach Ashwell Prince doesn’t want to look too far ahead, he admits that the WTC victory instilled a lot of confidence in the team that they will win the world title for the first time in the limited-overs format. “Crossing the line at the World Trade Center is a big moment for us as a country and for this group of players, who are basically the same group of players. Queenie (Quinton de Kock) have returned to the format and brought a lot of experience with them, adding to the experience of those playing in the Test Championship finals. This creates a lot of confidence and trust. Your teammates have the belief that when their time comes, they can step up and deliver,” he said.Apart from their Super Over win over Afghanistan, South Africa have beaten their opponents with ruthless efficiency. The outfit doesn’t rely on individual talent and looks like a well-oiled whole. Top orders include Markram, Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickton Their team got off to a bright start in most games. When they failed, the mid-level players, especially David Miller and Dewald Breivis, fought back aggressively. Tristian Stubbs provided the final assist.However, it was their bowling attack that gave the Proteas the lead. Although Kagiso Rabada was not at his best, the fast bowling trio of Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch made up for it by taking 31 of the 45 wickets South Africa took in the tournament. The Markram-led side had a mediocre performance, with the only bright spot being their catching. They have conceded at least eight catches in six games, which is highly unusual for a South African team.Zimbabwe, on the other hand, has lost all of its energy after setting foot on Indian soil for the Super Eights. Zimbabwe, who have already exited the semi-finals, were unable to maintain control over their opponents as they had in the group stages on a slow Sri Lankan track.
