Proteas coach Rob Walter on Thursday said his charges could hold their heads high, despite losing in the final of the T20 World Cup final to India.
Walter was speaking on his return to South Africa, at the Cricket SA (CSA) offices in Johannesburg.
South Africa were beaten by seven runs by India in the trophy match in Bridgetown over the weekend.
Walter made special mention of India quick Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled superbly in two of the final five overs, as South Africa fell away in their push for the title.
Proteas coach Rob Walter on Thursday said his charges could hold their heads high, despite losing in the final of the T20 World Cup final to India.
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Scant consolation
“To lose that way always hurts. When margins are small you always reflect on what might have been. There’s no disgrace in seeing the skill needed by Jasprit Bumrah but it’s a small consolation,” said Walter.
It’s been nearly a year-and-a-half since Walter took charge of the Proteas limited overs sides after coaching the Titans and stints in the Indian Premier League, and he explained the team have made significant gains in that time.
“The international space is a different one compared to the domestic one. You ultimately live together, see each other every day. The lead-ups into international seasons are very different. You have these long periods apart from each other and you try stay connected. But the real connections happen in person, and while it’s been 17 months [for me], it feels like four. The team have achieved great things in a short space of time. That’s not only down to me, but all the work that’s happened before. The work that’s also happened since I started is also down to my management staff and the team.
“We’ve progressed. This last World Cup showed us winning small moments, which in the past have not gone our way. The resilience with the large skill set in the very different conditions we faced in New York to the backend of the competition [showed progress].
“The team is ever-growing. If we can learn a bit more about each other and the game. The game is progressing and we need to progress with it.”
CSA director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe heaped praise on Walter and both the Proteas men’s and women’s teams as they have both now reached the final of their respective T20 World Cups.
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Mindset shift
Meanwhile, CSA director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe heaped praise on Walter and both the Proteas men’s and women’s teams. The Proteas women’s team, of course, were the first SA senior side to reach a cricket world cup final when they progressed to the final of the T20 World Cup as hosts in early 2023.
“From a cricket system point of view, both the men and women have made a massive mindset shift. Reaching two finals in a short space of time shows the buy-in not only from the two teams but from our domestic teams. There’s been a lot of work done which has built to these moments. We are definitely heading in the right direction, but there’s still work to do.
“From the Women’s point of view, the focus has always been the 2025 World Cup and from the men’s point of view it’s 2027. This will go a long way, and give us the belief in the system and that we can achieve greater things.”