"West Indies cricket will make you believe only to break your heart again" - Fans react to the Men in Maroon's exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup
Co-hosts West Indies failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup after a heart-breaking defeat to South Africa in a low-scoring thriller at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday, June 23. The Men in Maroon took the game deep while defending a paltry score, but lost the match in the final over and finished third in their Super 8 group.
West Indies put in an underwhelming display with the bat to post only 135-8 in the first innings. They, however, were impactful with the new ball as Russell struck twice in the second over to renew their hope. Rain made its appearance at this juncture, and the Proteas were able to generate some momentum after the break.
The co-hosts struggled to have a say in the game as Klaasen's cameo impacted the required run rate in a huge way. Nicholas Pooran's stunning catch to dismiss the dangerous batter coupled with Roston Chase's introduction into the attack triggered a collapse for the Proteas.
West Indies managed to put pressure on the opposition to increase the required rate and also chip away at the wickets. However, consecutive boundaries by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen meant that the Windies' qualification hopes were wiped out in the blink of an eye.
Social media had a lot to say about the Caribbean nation's performance. Here are some of the reactions on X (formerly Twitter):
SMH West Indies cricket will make you believe only to break yah heart again. Idk why I aint listen to myself. Get invested for naught," a fan wrote.
"Gutted for the spirited West Indies," another post read.
"If only West Indies had added little more to their total, the rest of the job South African batters would've done," another chimed in.
"That needless run out of Russell costed them at least 20 runs," one tweet read.
"It was a commendable effort, the boys believed they could defend 135" - West Indies captain Rovman Powell
West Indies were distraught after losing the game, especially considering the great expectations of them on home soil heading into the tournament. The heavy defeat to England and the narrow loss to South Africa proved to be the downfall of the side after a dominant group-stage campaign.
"Credit to the boys for fighting till the end. As a batting group this is a performance we want to forget, we didn't bat well in the middle overs. We lost wickets in clusters and that always breaks the back of the batting team. It was a commendable effort, the boys believed they could defend 135," Windies captain Rovman Powell said during the post-match presentation.
The victory keeps South Africa's winning streak alive and they finished as table-toppers of Group 2. They will face the team finishing second from Group 1 in the semi-finals.