Presenting South Africa's memorable T20 WC 2024 campaign in stats
South Africa fell short of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup title as India defeated them in the final. Nevertheless, it was a memorable tourney for the Proteas as they qualified for a World Cup final for the first time (ODIs or T20Is). In fact, they entered the summit clash without a single defeat. Here we decode their campaign in stats.
Best WC campaign for SA
SA won all of their three games in the league stage before recording four more successive wins in the Super 8 round. In a one-sided semi-final, they hammered Afghanistan by nine wickets. Aiden Markram hence became the first South African captain to propel the side to the ICC WC finals. However, the Proteas narrowly fell short of the 177-run target in the ultimate encounter.
Most runs for SA in a T20 WC edition
Quinton de Kock, who scored a crucial 31-ball 39 in the final, was pivotal to SA's success. The wicketkeeper-batter finished the recent event as the fourth-highest run-getter. He scored 243 runs at 27 as his strike rate reads 140.46 (50s: 2). QDK displaced Jacques Kallis (238 runs in 2009) as the SA batter with the most runs in a T20 WC edition.
How did the other batters perform?
Markram (123 runs at 15.37) and Reeza Hendricks (113 at 14.12) had below-par campaigns. Though David Miller managed 169 runs, he struck at a paltry rate of 102.42. Heinrich Klaasen, who hammered a 27-ball 52 in the final, scored 190 runs at a strike rate of 126.66. Tristan Stubbs's strike rate was also on the lower side (101.22) though he scored 165 runs.
Do you know?
Four of SA's top-six batters had strike rates of under 102. Hence, the team's average run rate in the tourney reads just 7.01, as per ESPNcricinfo. Their powerplay run rate (6.60) was the fifth-worst among full-member teams. The team's run rate in the final four overs read 8.10. However, SA's tournament economy rate was the best among teams who cleared the league stage (6.44).
Dream campaigns for Nortje, Rabada
While Anrich Nortje claimed 15 wickets at an economy of 5.74, his fellow speedster Kagiso Rabada finished with 13 wickets (ER: 6.29). No other SA bowler has taken as many or more wickets than the duo in a T20 WC edition. Spin twins Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi claimed 11 wickets apiece. They conceded runs at 7.60 and 6.25, respectively.
How did the other bowlers perform?
All-rounder Marco Jansen took seven wickets (ER: 6.83). Ottneil Baartman had a stellar economy of 4.94 (6 wickets). Shamsi (7.60) was the only SA bowler with an economy of 7 or more this season. Among teams which cleared the group stage, SA's economy rates of 5.90 in powerplay and 7.73 in the last four overs were the best and second-best, respectively.
