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After one week of cricket at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, South Africa are table toppers with two out of two wins with a net run rate of 2.368. The Proteas are looking like a good contender for the title with their performance so far. However, they have a long history of choking in important games. South African team has been a part of the Cricket World Cup since 1992. They have played nine World Cups since, and have never become the champions. The team has played excellent cricket in almost every tournament, but have failed to deliver in knockout phase of the tournaments. However, sometimes they have been just unlucky.
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Why are they called 'chokers'?
The term 'chokers' has its origin in the word 'choke,' which signifies failing at critical moments. The South African team was christened as 'chokers' due to their recurring collapse in the knockout matches of ICC tournaments. Frequently in the World Cup, the team lost its stride instead of taking advantage of pivotal moments. The 'chokers' label initially emerged during the 1992 World Cup and has persisted to this day.
Let's examine the instances the South African team succumbed under pressure. Thereby, reinforcing their 'chokers' status.
1992 World Cup Semi-Final
In that World Cup, South Africa was returning to international cricket after a long time due to the ban imposed for racism policies. The team performed brilliantly in the league stage, secured its place in the semi-finals and faced England in the knockout stage on 22nd March. England set the target of 253 runs. In the run chase, the South African team was moving towards the target but when Proteas had to score 22 runs in the last 13 balls to win the match, at the very moment the rain arrived and all scenarios changed.
According to the Most Productive Overs rule of that time, the South African team was given an impossible target of 21 runs on 1 ball. Seeing which no one could believe it. Due to this, the South African team was kicked off from the tournament.
1996 World Cup Quarter-Final
Forgetting about the last World Cup, this time once again South Africa made a great start in the tournament. The team entered the quarter-finals by winning five matches in the group stage. But, in the knockout stage, they got eliminated from the tournament after losing to West Indies by 19 runs.
1999 World Cup Semi-Final
The semi-final match of the World Cup was played at Edgbaston between Australia and South Africa. Despite the brilliant bowling performance by Shaun Pollock and Alan Donald, the Kangaroos reached the fighting score of 213 runs. In response to the target of 214 runs, Proteas lost wickets at regular intervals and the team's score became 198 runs after losing nine wickets. They needed just 9 runs in the last over. Lance Klusener, was still at the crease with Alan Donald. The match was completely in favour of South Africa. Klusener tied the match by hitting two fours on the first two balls of Daniel Fleming but on the fourth ball, Alan Donald got run out by Gilchrist. The match was tied but eventual champions Australia went into the final on a superior net run rate. The defeat of this match put the tag of chokers on South Africa.
2007 World Cup Semi-Final
The West Indies were hosting the tournament and the South African squad had big names like Shaun Pollock, Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith, and Jacques Kallis on their side. Yet, they were defeated against Australia by seven wickets in the second semi-final of the tournament.
2015 World Cup semi-final
South Africa faced New Zealand in one of the semifinals of the 2015 World Cup. After batting first, Proteas scored 298 runs in 43 overs. Due to rain interruption, New Zealand got the target of 298 in 43 overs by DLS method. New Zealand had lost six wickets in 41 overs. The Kiwis needed 12 runs in the last over. Nz's Elliot hit a six on the fifth ball and helped New Zealand to enter the Finals. South African players burst into tears on the field after the defeat.
These all incidents, among others, contributed to the perception that South Africa struggled in pressure-filled situations. However, It's noteworthy that cricket can be a game of fine margins, and the "chokers" tag doesn't necessarily reflect the team's abilities accurately.
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