Dale Steyn 'emotional' as South Africa reach maiden World Cup final

South Africa's emphatic nine-wicket triumph over Afghanistan in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 marked a significant milestone for the Proteas in this marquee event. It not only secured a crucial victory in the tournament's ninth iteration, but also symbolized a long-awaited triumph, erasing a lingering mark of historical agony and sorrow for the team. Perhaps, the enduring memories of numerous semi-final defeats loom within the cricketing community, notably among former South African cricketers, exemplified by the likes of fast-bowling stalwart, Dale Steyn.

The fiery fast bowler, renowned for his blistering pace and fierce competitiveness on the field, found himself unable to contain the raw emotions he and the fans experienced after the landmark victory. As he provided commentary during the game, Steyn's sentiments were undoubtedly influenced by South Africa's history of falling short in eleven prior instances at the penultimate stage across various ICC tournaments. Among these, three losses which had him in the XI would stand out the most prominently, with the 2015 Cricket World Cup defeat to New Zealand being particularly heart-wrenching for him on a personal level.

It’s emotional down here.
We’re into a final

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) June 27, 2024

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To the cricketing community, that particular game would be vividly recalled for the scenes of South African players visibly distraught and inconsolable after a closely-contested game lost in agonizing fashion, exacerbated by lapses in fielding that ultimately allowed the Kiwis to secure victory by the barest of margins. 

The 41-year-old, who immediately descended to the field to extend congratulations to the South African team, also engaged in a brief conversation with Tabraiz Shamsi, one of the architects of the victory. Shamsi shared that Steyn greeted him with a heartfelt hug and echoed similar sentiments - that their campaign thus far is not just for themselves, but also for the unwavering support from fans back home. Shamsi expressed that it was their duty and moral responsibility to advance one step further, a goal they had finally achieved as a small token of gratitude for the strong foundation laid by past greats.

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"I actually did speak to him after the game. He gave me a massive hug and said the exact same thing that, like I said to you, this is not just for us, it's for the people back home and the players that have played before us. They have laid the foundation for the team to progress and it's just our duty to take it one step forward," stated Shamsi, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.