South Africa batter David Miller expressed sadness at his team’s loss to India in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup on Saturday at Barbados, saying that the defeat is a “tough pill to swallow”. During the last over, David Miller, known to deliver clutch, breakthrough and match-winning performances for Proteas, attempted a big shot when 16 runs were needed of six balls.
However, the ball found Suryakumar Yadav near the boundary, who plucked a remarkable catch to turn the match completely in India’s favour with the batters’ dismissal for 21 runs. Men in Blue captured their second ICC T20 World Cup title with a seven-run win.
David Miller fails to cash it on in the last over as India wins the WT20 title.
A fine exhibition of death bowling by the trio of Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya and stupendous knocks by Virat Kohli and Axar Patel helped India end their ICC trophy drought, securing their second ICC T20 World Cup title by beating first-time finalists South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final at Barbados on Saturday.
During the last over, David Miller, known to deliver clutch, breakthrough and match-winning performances for the Proteas, attempted a big shot when 16 runs were needed from six balls. However, the ball found Suryakumar Yadav near the boundary, who plucked a remarkable catch to turn the match completely in India’s favour with the batters’ dismissal for 21 runs. The Men in Blue captured their second ICC T20 World Cup title with a seven-run win.
In nine matches, David Miller scored 169 runs in the tournament at an average of 28.16, with a half-century and strike rate of 102.42. David Miller’s best score was 59*. In the final match of the tournament, India won the toss and opted to bat first. After being reduced to 34/3, a counter-attacking partnership between Virat Kohli and Axar Patel of 72 runs restored India’s position in the game. A 57-run stand between Virat and Shivam Dube took India to 176/7 in their 20 overs.
Keshav Maharaj and Anrich Nortje were the top bowlers for SA. Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram took a wicket each.
In the run chase of 177 runs, Proteas was reduced to 12/2 and then a 58-run partnership between Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs brought back SA into the game. A half-century by Heinrich Klaasen threatened to take the game away from India. However, Arshdeep Singh , Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya made a fine comeback in death overs, keeping SA to 169/8 in their 20 overs.
Virat secured the ‘Player of the Match’ for his performance. Now, by securing their first ICC title since the Champions Trophy in 2013, India has ended their ICC trophy drought. Taking to Instagram on Monday, Miller wrote a heartfelt note about the final defeat to India.
David Miller opens up on heartbreaking 2024 T20 World Cup final loss
South African batter David Miller expressed his disappointment two days after the side’s gut-wrenching defeat to India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados on June 29. After enjoying a terrific unbeaten run until the summit clash, the Proteas looked to be on course to win their first-ever World Cup title.
However, with only a run-a-ball required off the final five overs, David Miller was at the forefront of a collapse that saw his side fall short by seven runs. With 16 runs needed off the last over, the southpaw struck a low full-toss from Hardik Pandya towards the long-off boundary. Suryakumar Yadav pulled off a spectacular catch at the boundary, inches inside the rope, to end South African hopes.
Taking to his Instagram handle two days after the heartbreaking loss, David Miller posted on his story:
“I am gutted!! Really tough pill to swallow after what transpired 2 days ago. Words don’t explain how I am feeling. One thing I do know is how proud I am of this unit. This journey was an incredible one, with highs and lows throughout the entire month. We have endured pain, but I know this team has the resilience and will keep raising the bar.”
David Miller was dismissed on 21 off 17 balls as South Africa’s World Cup dreams ended agonizingly yet again. Nevertheless, the 35-year-old enjoyed a reasonably impressive 2024 T20 World Cup campaign with 169 runs at an average of 28.16 and a strike rate of 102.42 in nine outings.