“Bitter pill to swallow”: Mark Boucher shows disappointment on South Africa’s exit on NRR in T20 World Cup

Mark Boucher has labeled South Africa’s exit on NRR as brutal, the side knocked out despite staying level with England and Australia.

When the T20 World Cup started, nobody gave any chance to South Africa in the Group of Death. However, the team surprised everyone and played a brilliant brand of cricket. In their last game, South Africa defeated the dominant English side by 10 runs, but it was not enough.

England, Australia, and South Africa ended up at three-way tie, but South Africa got knocked out. The NRR became their nemesis in the end. They will certainly blame that Bangladesh game for their exit, where they took 13.3 overs to chase 85 runs, whereas Australia chased 74 runs in just 6.2 overs against the same opposition.

However, the South African team can put their heads up in the end. Selection problems before the world cup, whereas Quinton de Kock’s controversy during the world cup. This side has exceeded the expectations.

Mark Boucher press conference

Mark Boucher addressed the press after the English game and he was clearly disappointed. He rues the missed opportunities in their opening game against Australia.

“The first game [against Australia] was tight,” Boucher said.

“We just didn’t bat well enough. It was tough, we lost the toss, we batted first and we weren’t 100% sure what a good total was because that was the first game. We looked at getting 160 but we probably needed 130 or 140 to be competitive so we could have maybe done better there.”

Boucher also questioned the two groups’ format as it disturbs the balance of the teams. He labeled the exit on NRR as a “bitter pill to swallow”.

“We knew what the rules were before,” Boucher said.

“As long as there is clarity around there, you’ve got to play what the rules are. Guys are chatting, it’s not only us, about what a good competition is – where everyone plays everyone. But I’m not here to make those calls. We knew what the rules were. We didn’t pass the test.”

South Africa needed to stop England before 131 runs, but they managed to score 179 runs. In the end, South Africa won the battle but lost the war.