T20 World Cup 2022: "We were never really in this game, to be fair" - Mark Boucher after South Africa's loss to Netherlands

South Africa coach Mark Boucher has said that the Netherlands were the better team following his team's stunning defeat in Adelaide on Sunday. The former keeper-batter admitted that the Proteas fancied their chances of a win but felt clueless about what went wrong on the day.

It was their first loss to the Netherlands across formats as they choked while chasing a target of 159. Rilee Rossouw, who shone with a hundred against Bangladesh earlier in the World Cup, top-scored with 25 as South Africa fell 13 runs short to crash out of the tournament. A win would have taken them to the semifinals.

Boucher said that South Africa were never in the game and credited the opposition for playing bravely and the handling pressure better. He also acknowledged the monkey the Proteas still carry on their backs by not doing well in ICC events.

As quoted by Iol.co.za, Boucher said:

"We were never really in this game, to be fair. Like if you look at it, and go from the start of the game on paper, we should have won the game. But the game is not played on paper."

He continued:

"It’s played out in the middle. They batted well. They were brave. They can come out and play brave cricket. We then put ourselves under pressure with the bat. They read the conditions really well, and adapted quicker than we did, and they made it really tough for us. I think the more you don’t do well at World Cups, it tends to play in your head a little bit."

South Africa's loss turned out to be Pakistan's gain, as the latter booked their place in the last four by beating Bangladesh later in the day.. It's worth noting that Pakistan beat Temba Bavuma & co. following losses to India and Zimbabwe.

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"Our plans were there, we didn't quite use them well enough" - Mark Boucher

Mark Boucher (Image Credits: Getty)

Boucher, who will now exit the Proteas setup, said that South Africa lacked intensity and the Netherlands executed their plans better. Ruing the team's lack of application and getting outplayed by the opposition, Boucher said:

"When you look at the way we started the game our energies were low. I haven't put my finger on it, haven't had a chance to speak to guys yet, where they feel it went wrong. Our plans were there, we didn't quite use them well enough. If you look at the game as a whole, they outbowled us, they bowled to the longer side of the field. They were able to create more pressure than we were on them."

He continued:

"The guys were in a good space. I think we played some good cricket over a long period of time, we slipped up the other night against Pakistan, and we looked flat today. I don't think we overtrained. The energies didn’t seem like it was there today, and we didn’t bowl or bat like we should have."

Pakistan, who beat Bangladesh by five wickets, will face New Zealand in the semifinals if India beat Zimbabwe. Otherwise, they will face England, while India will take on New Zealand for a place in the final.