The cricket world erupted with mixed emotions after India advanced to the final of the ongoing biennial event ahead of England despite their semifinal match getting abandoned without even a ball being bowled.
File Photo: South Africa Wome
Clarifying her statement she gave after the second semifinal of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 on Thursday, South Africa women skipper Dane van Niekerk said that she didn’t refer her “free pass” comment to any team.
The cricket world erupted with mixed emotions after India advanced to the final of the ongoing biennial event ahead of England despite their semifinal match getting abandoned due to rain without even a ball being bowled.
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The other semifinal between Australia and South Africa also witnessed heavy shower. Had the second semifinal suffered a similar fate as that of its predecessor, South Africa would have advanced on the virtue of better points.
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To the Proteas’ poor luck, the match did happen and Australia inched them by 5 runs (DLS method).
After the match, Niekerk had said: “I’d rather lose than get a free pass into the World Cup Final.”
However, the South Africa skipper’s remark was misinterpreted as an indirect dig at the way India qualified for the final.
“NO reference was made towards ANY team. If you want to take it out of context and not actually watch the whole interview, be my guest. Still a VERY proud captain of a VERY talented team,” said Niekerk in her clarification message.
ICC has been confronted with a lot of condemnation for its decision to not keep a reserve day for important matches like the semifinals. However, the apex cricket body had already stated that that they were not willing to extend the tournament and that a reserve day would be there only for the final.
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