New Zealand needed 14 runs from seven balls and Grant Elliot swung one towards the deep backward square leg, off South African pacer Morne Morkel. But two fielders collided against each other and the catch was dropped.
This wasn’t the only chance South Africa got to break the partnership between Elliott and Corey Anderson. There were several others, and a case of nerves must have prevented the fielding team from capitalising on them. This resulted in New Zealand taking the match away from right under South Africa’s nose.
One day after a nail-biting game of cricket, many fans may be intrigued by how the South Africans faltered on the threshold of a win. The only possible explanation would the lack of a composed temperament.
You don’t need to rush when the game is in your grasp, and neither should complacency set in till the formalities aren’t complete. South Africa was a jumpy, reactive unit when they should have been the self-assured and calm predator.
Captains like MS Dhoni, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting and Sri Lanka’s Arjuna Ranatunga are a few of the cricketers who demonstrate the kind cool temperament on field. Who isn’t anxious to take glory home, but there is a certain procedure that must be followed.
The knock-out stages of a World Cup are not easy. As a captain, you have to deal with all kinds of pressure, but if the leader buckles in such a situation, it gets tough for rest of the team. South Africa’s AB de Villiers is a great player with a solid reputation, but the haste of this World Cup semi-final will haunt him for years to come. He needed to demonstrate more skills as a captain in future!
