South Africa World Cup Chokes, a phrase we have often heard before, maybe too often.
SOUTH AFRICA HAVE BEEN ELIMINATE FROM THE 2022 T20 WORLD CUP, COURTESY THE NETHERLANDS.
I personally do not like the ‘choker’ term, but there is a reason why the Proteas have earned this tag—rain interruptions, inexplicable collapses, internal politics, dropped catches & runouts, mathematical errors, and sometimes they just don’t show up on the big day. So, to refresh your memories, here is the List of Top 17 South Africa World Cup Chokes & Heartbreaks—Men & Women Combined.
Top 17 List of South Africa World Cup Chokes
Here is the complete list of South Africa’s heartbreaks.
The heartbreaks of all heartbreaks. 8 runs needed in 1 over, 1 wicket remaining. Lance Klusener, in the form of his life, hits two fours. 1 run needed in 4 balls. Klusener – 31*(14). Surely, Proteas has one foot in the finals. Unfortunately, not enough feet as Klusener calls for a panic run, Allan Donald ball watches, runs late, and gets run out. Match Tied. The tie breaker? The Super Six match between Australia and South Africa, which Australia won, most famously known for Steve Waugh’s comment to Herschelle Gibbs, “You just dropped the World Cup.”Waugh went on to make a century and Australia won that clash.
What’s the fuss with DL method? Or the DLS vs VJD methods? Well, long, long time ago these rules did not exist. 22 needed in 13. Anyone’s game. Rain intervened for a short 10-minute break. Next thing you know, South Africa need 22 runs in 1 ball. Explain that.
Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Tom Cooper, and Scott Edward’s little contributions took Netherlands to 158/4. Quick start by the Proteas but regular wickets and THAT CATCH by former South African cricketer, Roelof van der Merwe meant SA could only get to 145/8.From top of the group to crashing out. They only needed to win one game of the last two and they failed. The No-Result vs Zimbabwe will pinch them as well.“
4. 2003 World Cup Group Stage Exit (Math/DL Method)
1, 0, 0, 5 wides, 1, SIX!, 0, RAIN. Match Tied. South Africa eliminated in the group stage at a home world cup.
Murali bowling to Klusener-Boucher. Last ball-Dot. Reason? South Africa management had miscalculated the DL method and stayed at 229. Had they taken a single, SA would have qualified for the next round.
When asked captain Shaun Pollock in the post-match presentation whether there was any confusion over DL calculations, Pollock replied with “Yeah, Boucher was given a message of 229.”
“So for the second time in a row, South Africa exited with a Tied game. South Africa and the public couldn’t believe it. One run the difference between success and failure.”
Well on the field, you cannot really blame South Africa. With the bat, Faf-ABD-Miller got South Africa to a massive total in a, wait for it, rain curtailed game. NZ had less overs to chase, Baz went all out, Grant Elliot played the innings of his life, and Dale Steyn was on his feet at the end.Rain had arrived when SA were cruising at 216/3 in 38 overs. They got 281 in 43, but NZ magnificently chased 299 (DL).
Meg Lanning gets Australia to 134/5. Runs on the board, but still chaseable with South Africa’s solid batting order. But then, rain intervened. Again. And now they needed 98 in 13 overs, much more challenging with the higher required rate.Laura Wolvaardt played a gem of a knock 41* (27) and brought it down to 19 off 6, but unfortunately, no Carlos Brathwaite moment for them.
South Africa scored a competitive 218. South Africa defending their last over – Dropped dot ball, 1, Wicket, Four. Another last over heartbreak. The difference between the sides? Extras.4 given by England and 25 by South Africa.
Small total to chase, good partnership. All looking good. Then some harsh fighting on the field, a run-out, and the collapse. Perfect ingredients for the ideal South African choke.
From 108-2 in 24 overs to 172 all out in the small chase of 222.
4 wins out of 5. Net Run Rate of +0.739. Temba Bavuma unites the team after Quinton de Kock sits out. Surely, nothing can stop them now? Nope. England & Australia both won 4/5 and had an EVEN BETTER net run rate. The Stoinis-Wade partnership in the low scoring first match hurt South Africa.
In their final match against England, they had scored 189/2 and won against the great English side. Even that wasn’t enough as they had to restrict England to 131 to get their NRR high enough.
India won this one comfortably. South Africa could only get to 116 in chase of 154. Had they got 10 more runs, they would have qualified to the semi-finals of the inaugural T20 World Cup, but lost out due to NRR yet again.
South Africa could only score 101, while England’s stalwarts Sarah Taylor, Charlotte Edwards, and Heather Knight breezed through the chase in 16.5 overs.
17. 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup Group Match (Collapse)
In a chase of 130, South Africa were cruising at 44-1 at 7.2 overs with Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp forming a steady partnership. Then, the spin crunched South Africa as the Proteas collapsed to 72-5. Sune Luus & Sinalo Jafta brought them close, but after the usual run-outs & panic, the Sri Lankan squeezed and won a historic match.
Why are South Africa called ‘Chokers’ in world cricket? South Africa have failed to qualify due to rain & nerves in 1992, 1999, 2007, 2011, and 2015 ODI World Cups along with 2007, 2009, 2014, and 2022 T20 World Cups, 2014, 2022 Women’s T20 World Cup and 2000, 2017, and 2022 Women’s ODI World Cups.
Comment below on your thoughts about South Africa World Cup Chokes and Heartbreaks! Also, feel free to checkout some of our other recent articles.
Women’s cricket has become mainstream over the last decade, especially with the breakthrough 2017 ODI World Cup and the 2020 T20 World Cup final, but how much do we really about it?
The general public can remember who won the 1979 Cricket World Cup, Kapil Dev’s 1983 catch, Wasim Akram’s 1992 swing, South Africa’s collapses, and Australia’s dominance in men’s cricket. Here we will educate ourselves about the Women’s Cricket World Cup—How many World Cups have happened, what happened in each world cup, who is the highest runs scorer, wicket taker, and much more!
By the end of this article, you will know everything from history to prepare yourself for the upcoming 2022 Cricket World cup.
Cricket’s first ODI World Cup was the 1973 Women’s Cricket World Cup, not the 1975 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Denmark played cricket? That’s right. While teams like Ireland and Netherlands made their impact in men’s world cup in the 2000s, teams like Ireland, Denmark, and Netherlands made their Women’s World Cup debut from the 1988 & 1993 world cups onwards.
In the 1973 World Cup, Jamaica & Trinidad and Tobago played as separate nations, not under West Indies.
In the 1973 & 1982 World Cup, an International XI was fielded as one of teams, comprised of players from England, New Zealand, Netherlands, Australia, India, Trinidad, and Jamaica.
Format: Round Robin (3 matches each), 6 matches total
Highest Run-Scorer: Margaret Jennings (127) – Australia
Highest Wicket Taker: Sharyn Hill (7) – Australia
Venue: New Zealand
Fun Fact:Australia won their first cricket world cup….first of their 20 world cups (5 men’s ODI, 1 T20 WC, 3 U-19 WC, 6 women’s ODI WC, 5 T20I WC)…WOW.
3. Hansells Vita Fresh 1982 Women’s Cricket World Cup
Venue: New Zealand
Winner: Australia 🥇
Runners Up: England 🥈
Teams: 5 (Australia, England, New Zealand, India, International XI)
Format: Triple Round Robin + Final (12 matches each), 31 matches total
Highest Run-Scorer: Jan Brittin (391) – England
Highest Wicket Taker: Lyn Fullston (23) – Australia (most in any women’s WC)
Fun Fact:Jackie Lord took 8-2-10-6 against India, women’s cricket best WC bowling figures to date. Electing to bat, NZ were bundled out for 80 in 58.5 overs via Diana Edulji’s 11.5-7-10-3 (60-over match). In reply, Lord helped bundle India for 37 in 35 overes.
Each team played each other THREE TIMES! Can you imagine that in today’s day and age? Also International XI makes a comeback.
Highest Run-Scorer: Debbie Hockley (456) – New Zealand (most in any women’s WC)
Highest Wicket Taker: Katrina Keenan (13) – New Zealand
Fun Fact:Belinda Clark 229* (pushing Australia to 412/7, best WC score ever till date) and Charlotte Edwards’ 173 broke ODI batting world records, Pakistan collapsed for 27/10 (lowest ever WC score), and Jhulan Goswami, on ball duty, was inspired to take up the sport as a child.The beginning of professionalization of women’s cricket (from skirts/culottes to trousers)
Teams: 8 (Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands)
Format: Round Robin + Semi-Finals + Finals, 31 matches total
Player of the Tournament:Lisa Keightley
Highest Run-Scorer: Karen Rolton (393) – Australia
Highest Wicket Taker: Charmaine Mason (17) – Australia
Fun Fact:A classic Australia Vs New Zealand final in New Zealand, who actually won their first (and only) ODI World Cup. The 2015 men’s world cup was actually just a revenge battle.
Teams: 8 (Australia, India, New Zealand, England, West indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Ireland)
Format: Round Robin + Semi-Finals + Finals, 31 matches total
Player of the Tournament: Karen Rolton (Australia) (Rolton boasts the best WC average across women’s WC – 74.92)
Highest Run-Scorer: Charlotte Edwards (280)
Highest Wicket Taker: Neetu David (20)
Fun Fact:Featured a star cast—Belinda Clark, Lisa Sthalekar, Karen Rolton, Lisa Keightley, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Edwards, Katherine Brunt, Isa Guha, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra, Neetu David, Anisa Mohammed—a clash of generations.
Teams: 8 (England, Sri Lanka, West Indies, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan)
Format: 2 Groups + Super Six + Final, 25 matches total
Player of the Tournament:Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
Highest Run-Scorer: Suzie Bates (407) – New Zealand
Highest Wicket Taker: Megan Schutt (15) – Australia
Fun Fact:India & Pakistan were the two teams that failed to qualify for the Super Sixes, while West Indies qualify for the Finals for the first (and only) time.
