The wait for a first-ever Cricket World Cup trophy continues for South Africa, but Proteas women's captain, Sune Luus, says she is immensely proud of what her charges achieved at their home T20 showpiece. READ | Heroic Proteas fall short in World Cup final despite Wolvaardt fireworks South Africa lost by 19 runs to six-time champions Australia in the T20 World Cup final at Newlands on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on an epic campaign that ended with 14 000 packing into the iconic stadium to support this side as they broke barriers. No Proteas side had ever contested a World Cup final, and very few would have predicted that the Proteas would be the first to do it here. They were overwhelming underdogs in their semi-final against England at the same venue on Friday, but they got over that hurdle only to meet the greatest women's cricket side in history in the tournament decider. Australia have played in the last six T20 World Cup finals, and while they were certainly pushed by the Proteas at times on Sunday, they were largely comfortable in getting over the line. What is of far more significance, though, is that this Proteas side stunned the cricketing world on their journey, winning over an often sceptical South African public in the process. The crowd on Sunday roared throughout, cheering every run that came off a South African bat. That, Luus says, is the takeaway from this tournament. "I'm definitely proud of every teammate of mine. We've done an incredible job to get to the final, and I think to put up a fight against a team like Australia . . . I just feel really proud," she told media after the match. "It was the most special day we could ask for. When we started this tournament, I don't think this was something we envisioned. "We were hoping it wasn't going to be too embarrassing with empty stadiums. We just hoped a few people would come to the games, so to see this has been next-level. "The country was really behind us, and it was something we never really thought would happen. It was such an honour to have that opportunity to inspire a nation and to have them come out and watch us play - it was such a blessing. " The Proteas were naturally disappointed at the end of the occasion, but Luus herself said she had been largely composed. "You always think about a World Cup final and what it will feel like, but I was pretty chilled throughout the day. I still watched a couple of movies this morning," she said. "You go through waves. There are excitement levels and a few nerves here and there. We obviously thought we had a chance while we were batting, so it obviously gives you that extra bit of excitement. "We would have loved to win, but for us to play in a final with a sell-out crowd was amazing. "We got a sniff of how a final is, and we now have the heartache of not winning a final. At next year's World Cup, when we get there again, it's not going to be a big thing for us anymore. "This was a massive opportunity for our girls and they did extremely well. We gave them (Australia) a good run for their money. It obviously wasn't the result we wanted, but I just have positive feelings right now. " The skipper also congratulated the Australians while acknowledging that South African cricket still had a long way to go from a professionalism point of view. "They're a well-oiled machine," Luus said. "Their level of professionalism is insane, and they're a team the world has been looking up to for a very long time. They're there for a reason. "If you look at their structures and pipelines, everything is just lining up and everything is in order. It's something as a country we're definitely striving for. ".