As an RCB fan, one knows the pain of having everything in their line-up and still being unable to clinch the gold. The same has been the fate of South Africa in the international cricket circle. The Proteas have always had a star-studded squad of batsmen and bowlers with the likes of Gary Kirsten, Shaun Pollock, AB De Villiers, Allan Donald, Dale Steyn, etc. Yet, the team has always choked in crunch moments which has taken away their chance to stand up tall as champions. Here are ten times when South Africa justified its "chokers" tag.
1. The Silly Semi-Final
Fate turned its back on the Proteas in the most crucial game of the 92' World cup. Locking horns against England in the second semi-final, South Africa restricted their opponents to a challenging total of 252 in 45 overs. In the second innings, the game came to a nail-biting situation, with the batting side needing 22 of 13 balls to enter the finals. The rain caused another interruption, and the match got to a halt. When the play resumed, it was a horror for both players and the fans rooting for the team in green. According to the rain rules, the target got reduced by just a run with two overs scraped off. The revised score asked the batting side to score an impossible 22 off the last ball. The on-strike batsman, Brian McMillan, took a single and walked back to the pavilion with anger as England progressed to the finals, eliminating the Proteas.
2. South Africa VS West Indies: 96’ World Cup Quarter-Final
The next World Cup in the subcontinent saw the South African team bundle out again. It was a knockout match against the Caribbean, who weren't at their best in this competition. But a selection blunder from the Proteas gave the West Indies an upper hand. It was a belter for the pacers, and the former left out Alan Donald in place of a spinner. What transpired was a batting masterclass from Brian Lara as he scored a solid 111 off just 94 deliveries. Chasing a target of 265, South Africa collapsed from 186 for three wickets to 198 for 7. It resulted in yet another missed chance at clinching the World Cup.
3. 1999 Cricket World Cup 2nd semi-final
For any die-hard South African, this is one match they would like to erase from history. After a splendid bowling performance by the side, the Proteas were chasing 213, and everything was on track with valuable contributions from the top-order. But Shane Warne came as a party spoiler as he sent four batters to the pavilion. The only ray of hope was Lance Klusener. South Africa needed 16 from the last ten balls with just one wicket left. With tensed faces all around, Klusener kept his nerves and smashed two boundaries. South Africa was just a run away from victory with four balls left. But the successive two balls saw a dramatic turnaround as the first one almost resulted in a run-out. After that, Klusener didn't connect the ball well but rushed for a quick single. Allan Donald was late to respond, costing him his wicket, courtesy of a brilliant throw at the striker's end. With the scores tied, the Aussies booked their ticket to the final because of a better position in the earlier group stage.
4. South Africa VS India: 2002 Champions Trophy
This match calls for one of the biggest batting crumbles for South Africa. After posting a formidable total of 261, India was pushed to the back seat by the Proteas as Herschelle Gibbs struck a magnificent ton. With a score of 192 with nine wickets in hand, it felt like a cakewalk for South Africa. But Gibbs retired soon after due to fatigue which gave Indian bowlers the opening they were looking after. The South African line-up fell like a pile of cards, and India won the match by ten runs.
5. South Africa VS Sri Lanka: 2003 World Cup Group Stage
The Proteas had the home advantage on their side in the 2003 edition of the World Cup and tagged them as one of the favorites for lifting the trophy. But their journey stumbled in the group stage as they faced Sri Lanka in a do-or-die match to enter the next round. South Africa's biggest enemy, the Duckworth-Lewis system, became a menace for them. Needing 268 for the win, South Africa had scored 229 for the loss of 6 wickets in 45 overs. As rain caused the play to stop, the Proteas fell one run short of the D/L par score. All of this happened because of a communication mishap as Mark Boucher blocked the last ball of the 45th over, thinking they've achieved the required score. The team was eliminated in the group stage for the first time, facing humiliation in front of their home crowd.
6. South Africa VS Australia: 2007 World Cup Semi-Final
The South Africans were up against their biggest enemies in the semi-final match of the 2007 world cup. This time around, the Proteas choked right from the start as they lost half the side within the first powerplay of their innings. With a little fightback, they ended up with a paltry score of just 149 runs on the board. Australia cruised to victory by beating South Africa by a margin of 7 wickets.
7. South Africa VS Pakistan: 2009 T20 World Cup
Having an incredible run of form, the Proteas entered the semis with zero losses in the previous stages of the tournament. Despite some early hiccups, Pakistan scored a challenging 149 with the help of a blistering half-century from the bat of Shahid Afridi. He shined with the ball as the South African batters struggled to pace their innings, resulting in a heart-breaking 7-run defeat for the Proteas.
8. South Africa VS New Zealand: 2011 World Cup Quarter-Final
The South African team was on a roll in the 2011 World Cup, having defeated the hosts, India, and topped in the group stages. They clashed with New Zealand in the quarter-finals. It was supposed to be an easy win for the Proteas, but they messed up big time. Sitting in a comfortable position after scoring 108 runs with the loss of 2 wickets, South Africa was all set to beat the target of 222 set by the Kiwis. But it didn't took long for the change of tides as the Blackcaps took eight wickets in quick succession and progressed to the semis with a 49-run win.
9. South Africa VS England: 2013 Champions Trophy Semi-Final
AB De Villiers would never forget this encounter against arch-rivals England after he boldly spoke of dropping the chokers tag by winning the knockout match. Not only did De Villiers walk back after a 9-ball duck, but the team lost eight wickets for 80 runs. Eyeing a target of a meagre 176, England thrashed their opponent by seven wickets with 12 overs in the bag as Jonathan Trott thrashed the bowlers with an unbeaten 82.
10. South Africa VS New Zealand: 2015 World Cup Semi-Final
With lots of highs and lows, this rain-affected semi-final proved to be a cracker of a game. Batting first, the Proteas propelled to 281 in 43 overs with crucial knocks from De Villiers, Du Plessis, and Miller. The D/L method put a target of 298 in front of the Blackcaps. The Kiwi Captain, Brendon McCullum, took the onus of finishing the run-chase with a brilliant batting performance. The heat was on, and the South African Captain missed a run-out opportunity to send Corey Anderson back to the pavilion. It hurt the Proteas badly as Anderson struck a partnership with Grant Elliot. With five required off the last two deliveries, Elliot faced Dale Steyn with everyone's eyes hooked onto the match. The ball went out of the park as New Zealand crossed the line with a massive six, and South Africa fell short once again.
