SA vs WI: South Africa's T20I team would be seen back in action for the first time after losing the summit clash of the 2024 T20 World Cup against India in June this year. They suffered a heartbreak as it was them who had dominated most of the game but were outplayed by the brilliant Indian bowlers, who stayed calm in the last five overs of the match. South Africa skipper Aiden Markram has finally reacted as to how he dealt with this defeat ahead of the first T20I against West Indies, which will be held on August 23.
During the pre-match press conference, Markram revealed that he was fortunate enough to take some time off from the sport and didn't talk much about the mega-event.
"I should give it as much time as it needs," Markram told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
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"It was a tough one to swallow at the time. Definitely since then till now, it's got a bit better to handle; to deal with, and to process and put to bed," he revealed.
He also said that he had reset himself after the break and that it was necessary to put it behind him as that would help him to move on.
"Luckily I was able to take some time to get away from the game, get away from cricket conversations that would spark the discussion once again. It was nice to get away from that and to reset. Each processes it pretty much to themselves. Probably the most important thing is making sure you're at peace with how it all ended. So that you can move on and move forward", he concluded.
The Proteas had beaten West Indies in the Test series 1-0 and will aim to repeat their heroics in the T20I series as well.
South Africa squad:
Aiden Markram, Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams