South African women left in tears after semi-final defeat to England

The game of cricket is not merely a game, but an emotion. Well, for that matter, any sportsperson who represents his/her country at the highest level has the emotions running down all the time with the stakes being so high. It is not often that a team losing the game ends up getting the major share of the media pie after the event. But when South Africa Women went down crashing in a humdinger against England Women recently, it was certainly the rare case.

The stage was big and the occasion – arguably the most tense. ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 had reached the penultimate stage of the tournament and two tough teams locked horns in the big game. It was not merely a game of cricket for the two sides. A bigger picture was at stake for the competing units. For the hosts, England Women, the match was all about redefining and reinstating their authority in Women’s cricket.

On the other hand, the Proteas camp had the hopes of many fans eagerly waiting for a big win. Why would they not wait? South Africa have been long due for an ICC major now. The tag of being the chokers has been haunting them for years. The hopes were high and the fans believed that the ladies would break the jinx that the gentlemen could not. Alas! the case did not change this time around either.

In the match that went down to the last three balls of the game, England Women snatched a 2 wicket win. The match was there in the hands of South Africa Women side. The win, and the ticket to the final was there for the taking. But, it was all lost when Anya Shrubsole punched a boundary through the covers off the bowling of Shabnim Ismail. The Proteas women teared up and the emotions could well be seen.

As has been the case in the annals of sports history, the teary-eyed won the hearts. Skipper Dane van Niekerk could not hold back her tears either. On a broader picture, this was like a deja vu for the South African fans. The semi-final defeat brought back the sad memories of the gloomy evening at Eden Park during the ICC World Cup 2015. Back then, it was their men’s team who had suffered this heartbreak in the semi-final game against New Zealand.

Their skipper, AB de Villiers, was seen crying on the field, and so was speedster Morne Morkel. The pictures, now, in England were no different. The South Africa Women players were seen scattered on the ground, disappointed, dejected, and let down by themselves.

However, the ladies should take pride in the fact that they managed to make a game out of a match that looked one-sided at the half way stage. The emotions ran in the other camp too, albeit the tears of joy. Such is the nature of the game – sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. For the moment, team South Africa – take pride. You did your nation proud.

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