T20 World Cup: South Africa coach Conrad says semis loss to New Zealand ‘wasn't a choke but a walloping’
The Hindu
South Africa's coach calls their T20 World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand a "walloping," not a choke, reflecting on the defeat.
Not the one to mince words, South African head coach Shukri Conrad said his team's nine-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the T20 World Cup semifinal here was "not a choke but a walloping".
Chasing a tricky 170, New Zealand cantered home in 12.5 overs, powered by their openers on Wednesday night in Kolkata. While Finn Allen's 100 not out off 33 balls was the fastest century in the event's history, equally explosive was Tim Seifert with a 33-ball 58.
The ouster added to South Africa's growing list of heartbreaks in ICC world tournaments. The 2024 runners-up had entered the semifinal as the tournament's only unbeaten side with seven wins on the trot including handing out defeats to New Zealand (group stage) and home favourites India (Super Eights).
"I don't know if tonight was a choke. I thought it was a bloody walloping," Conrad said bluntly when the 'C' word was brought up given South Africa's past record of imploding in high-pressure games.
"In order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn't have a sniff. In South Africa, we'd say we 'got moered (violent assault)'," he added in his inimitable style.
He then used his native Afrikaans to best sum up the defeat.
South Africa's coach calls their T20 World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand a "walloping," not a choke, reflecting on the defeat.
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