South Africa reached the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final, beating the defending champions Australia. This is their second appearance in the final after they reached the final last year but had to face a heartbreak in front of home fans as well. Since then, a lot has changed – while Laura Wolvaardt stepped in to replace Sune Luus, the team has become calmer, shared the veteran all-rounder Chloe Tryon.
However, they will play against New Zealand in the final.
“I think when she [Wolvaardt] first came in, she probably was a little bit nervous,” Chloe Tryon said in the press conference on the eve of the final. “She’s a lot more calmer now and I think she’s more clear on how she wants to do things. And she’s got backing from senior players, which is really good.”
While they have defeated the mighty Aussies in the semi-final which will give them a much-needed boost, Tryon said the calmness within the group and learnings from the mistakes from the last few months are the reasons as well.
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“I feel like we’ve learnt a lot quicker than what we have been before” – Chloe Tryon
![South Africa was at its clinical best versus Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. [Image: Getty]](https://www.womenscricinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/389261.webp "ICC T20 World Cup 2024: \"Coming Into This World Cup We Just Wanted To Be Nice And Calm\" - Chloe Tryon 1")
“We’ve played a lot of games leading up to this and I think we’ve been in situations where it hasn’t really gone our way, but we found ways to try and bounce back as quick as possible. So, I feel like players have been exposed to a lot of that and they just want to do better every single game,” Chloe Tryon further added.
Meanwhile, Anneke Bosch, who made headlines in the semi-finals, had an ordinary tournament ahead of that. However, her scintillating knock helped South Africa beat Australia and that happened because of the consistent backing from the management.
Notably, Australia got knocked out before the finals for the very first time in 15 years as well.
“Anneke Bosch came into the semifinal and did what she did when she had been feeling a little bit under pressure in the games prior to that, and probably got a lot of criticism on how she had been playing,” Chloe Tryon explained. “So, to come out and face that and do what she did. So, you know, different players are putting up their hands.”
SEE ALSO: ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Anneke Bosch’s Brilliance Propels South Africa To Final
“I think before we’d kind of get a little bit flustered and now there’s a lot more calmness in the group because I feel like the girls have been doing this a long time but I feel like the youngsters as well have soaked that up and are really doing well with that,” she expressed.
“I feel like we’ve grown a lot as a unit and as individuals” – Chloe Tryon
However, last year’s heartbreak is still fresh in South Africa’s memory, but with another chance in a similar position within a year, the group will surely try to give their best.
“It was obviously a tough pill to swallow then. We had to go back and really reflect on how we want to progress from that and how we want to get back into a final. I think there was a lot of individuals that just want to work on their games and I felt that coming into this World Cup we just wanted to be nice and calm,” Chloe Tryon again added.
“I feel like we’ve grown a lot as a unit and as individuals and knowing our roles. But I feel like the way we’ve been playing is quite calm. And I feel like that’s been really good in our group. And everyone’s just been gelling really well together,” Chloe Tryon concluded.
However, Sunday’s final will start at 18:00 local time (7:30 PM IST) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
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