KOLKATA: South Africa ended their World Cup campaign on yet another semifinal heartache here at the Eden Gardens on Thursday night.
The Africans lost to Australia by three wickets in a close match, but coach Rob Walter believes they have laid a platform for the future with a core group of players after exceeding expectations at the most recent tournament in India.
South Africa will co-host the next 50-over finals with Namibia and Zimbabwe in 2027 and Walter believes there is much room for optimism they can improve further having arrived in India under the radar and with little expectation of success.
“I’m excited,” he told reporters. “There’s huge scope for us to grow as a team and to play even better than we have. The majority of the people that are going to be on the journey (to the next World Cup) are still in the changing room.
“We’ve seen young guys at the end of the tournament with less than 15 games to their name stand up and really dominate in certain phases for the team.
“Different people putting their hands up throughout the competition.”
Wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock announced he would retire from the 50-over format before the tournament started, while 2027 may be too far off for 34-year-old batters David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen, the core of the group should remain.
(Reuters)
