T20 Women's World Cup | Gutted To Miss Out On The Finals: An Emotional Heather Knight After Semi-Final Loss
Knight dejected after semis loss [Twitter]
England were favourites heading into the semi-final clash with South Africa women on Saturday, but all hopes were dashed when the Proteas women brought their best game in the semis and won the match by 6 runs.
Laura Wolvaardt (53), and Tazmin Brits (68) showed their batting prowess as South Africa posted 164. In reply, England had a glimmer of hope when Nat Sciver was batting, but South Africa bowled some tight overs towards the end to snatch the victory and seal their place in the finals.
After the match, a dejected Heather Knight vowed to bounce back after the loss and lauded England's professionalism.
"Gutted. Obviously a great game of cricket. We did well to take it deep. But South Africa Women executed their plans and finished on the winning side. I think there is a huge amount of talent. But in T20 cricket, we lose by fine margins.
We are very clear about how we want to go about in the shortest format. I had to take a moment while batting and take it all in as the noise was great. The professionalism has improved. It has benefitted everyone and when you market it nicely, you have the results. I'll be watching the final. Gutted to miss out but credit for them to reach the final."
Talking about the match, England were off to a good start, courtesy Danielle Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley. But once the openers were back in the hut, England pressed the panic button and lost the contest.
 "Anurag Dasgupta")
