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Follow UsNot today, for sure, it must have felt the South African fans, the team management, current and former players, and everybody else who was supporting the Proteas in any capacity. For a change, they had a moment to bury their decades-long baggage at the ICC events.
They had crossed the semi-final hurdle for the first time. In their first-ever final appearance, they had pinned the behemoths India for 35 overs in the game.
No signs of choking as yet.
Moreover, they had overcome the big moments — toppling India’s top order, conceding only a par score despite Virat Kohli’s 76, Quinton de Kock running Axar Patel out from the far end, recovering from 12/2 in the run chase. The champion Indian side had not been pushed to this extent in the tournament.
30 from 30 balls. Surely, they cannot lose from there, even considering two overs of Jasprit Bumrah up India’s sleeves.
David Miller punched his bat in elation at Heinrich Klaasen’s second six against Axar in the 15th over. That over went for 24 runs. Another big moment won in an assertive fashion. The curtains were closing on India.
This isn’t the South Africa we are used to seeing in big white-ball matches. Only they could have defeated themselves from here…
…Five overs later, their worst nightmare came true for the umpteenth time. They lost and lost in a fashion that raises the question: Where does this rank among their history of ‘choking’ in big matches?
Since 1992, South Africa have had around 13 World Cup events (both 50- and 20-over format), in which they were in a position to proceed further. Barring 2009 and 2014, when they were outclassed by their opposition in the semi-final, they can look back at 11 other events where they could have or should have done things differently.
It also includes group game exits, like in 2003, when they miscalculated the DL par score. Imagine bottling the math to face a group exit in a home World Cup. In 2022, they slipped up against the Netherlands when all they needed was to win a group game against a smaller team to proceed to the semi-finals. At their expense, Pakistan powered through to the final. Picking the worst defeat can leave your mind in a spin.
In 2021, they were knocked out on the NRR because they had taken 13.3 overs to chase 85 against Bangladesh. Two days later, Australia chased down a similar score against the Tigers in 6.2 overs to outdo South Africa in the group stage. They later went on to win the tournament. As laughable as it is painful.
In the 2007 semi-final against Australia, they aimed too high and capitulated early. In 1996, they dropped Allan Donald for an extra spinner, a decision that backfired. There is a popular narrative that they were hard done by the rain rule in the 1992 semi-final. However, they had themselves to blame for multiple reasons. There are a lot of ifs and buts in South Africa’s white-ball cricket history.
However, in terms of having one hand on the trophy or being among the hot favourites to claim it, the 7-run defeat in Barbados had flashbacks of Edgbaston, 1999 and Auckland, 2015. Both those editions arguably had South Africa’s best sides to take the field in the 50-over World Cup. The 1999 side was ahead of its time. The 2015 side had a certain AB de Villiers at the peak of his powers alongside a group of white-ball stars.
You can say that South Africa’s current T20 setup is probably their best in a T20 World Cup. The addition of Heinrich Klaasen alongside Tristan Stubbs and David Miller in the middle and Quinton de Kock at the top has made South Africa one of the T20I batting units.
One of the best hitters of spin-bowling, he took down the Indian spinners for four breathtaking sixes, each in different areas of the ground. India had made the mistake of bowling too much spin on a track for the pacers. Klaasen punched on it at a strike rate of 271 against Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.
Only 26 runs away, with two set batters, four overs at hand, and only one over of Bumrah left, the Proteas had an 86% chance to shrug off the burden of 33 years.
Off the first ball of the next over, Klaasen chased a wide delivery from Hardik Pandya. The 32-year-old slashed at fullish length and the spongy bounce off a slower delivery caught the outside edge. The dismissal came right after a break in play when Rishabh Pant had summoned the physio. The lack of footwork confirmed the sudden loss in concentration, thus opening the door for India.
It was the Allan Donald moment of the ‘99 semi-final. Lance Klusener had fueled the Proteas back in the contest. But Donald’s ball-watching at the non-striker’s end, after committing too early into a non-existent run on the previous delivery, knocked South Africa out. Their dominant World Cup campaign ended in a mishap. Here, it was again mind in mangle over the matter.
Amidst two tight overs, Miller exposed Keshav Maharaj against Arshdeep Singh after accepting a single in the previous over. Maharaj played two dots before turning the strike over.
Credits to India for coming back in the contest, but South Africa were handing over the game. Think about David Miller’s plight. Being one of their greatest T20I batters, he would be replaying that miscued hit off a full toss in his mind, which he would have deposited for sixes 10 out of 10 times during his range-hitting sessions. On this occasion, not expecting it, he fell inches short of clearing the rope down the ground. Needing 16 off five with Kagiso Rabada and Maharaj in the middle, the door was shut on South Africa again.
Thirty balls of mayhem. Somehow, South Africa did the only thing they didn’t have to — lose wickets. The “choker” tag lives on. It's South Africa’s version of, “Kids take up baking…”
Miller’s wicket was also the deciding factor when South Africa lost to the Dutch in 2022. In 2023, he amassed one of the best semi-final hundreds, but South Africa fell short by three wickets. He has seen the worst of both worlds.
Miller and de Kock are the only players to have been involved in both the 2015 and 2024 silverware hopes being shattered. By self-admission, the defeat in Auckland played a part in de Villiers’ premature retirement a few years down the line. It was an emotional defeat, with tears in the eyes of de Villiers, Morne Morkel and Miller. The Kiwi players from the winning side lent shoulders to their disheartened counterparts.
On this occasion, however, the Indian players were too occupied to pay any heed to their grieving opposition. They were lost in their own euphoria, and quite rightly so. It is ironic that if anyone could understand what the Proteas must be feeling in those moments, it would be this Indian side. They have had their own share of slips-ups, including a lost ODI WC final last year in favourable home conditions.
Rohit Sharma laid flat on the ground at his fielding position, soaking in the glory. His teammates surrounded him before the skipper stood up to begin the high-fives and hugs. A plethora of beautiful pictures followed. And at some point, you couldn’t help but wonder what the celebrations in the South African camp would have been like. Only if you could travel to such an alternate universe.
But for now, they will have to begin from ground zero again. From Sydney to Auckland to Barbados, they have literally bore the tag across seven seas. And each missed opportunity only looks more haunting as the pain piles up year after year.
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