The ‘C-word' had been used to taunt South Africa ahead of their Super 8 clash against hosts India, in that game the Proteas responded emphatically with a 76-run victory. However, at Eden Gardens on March 4, the familiar ghosts of their white-ball past have returned to haunt Aiden Markram's side in their T20 World Cup semifinal clash against New Zealand.
After breaking their ICC trophy drought by lifting the World Test Championship mace last year, this was supposed to be the Proteas' moment of redemption in white-ball cricket. However, in a high-stakes semifinal, the only unbeaten team in the tournament stumbled under pressure and have potentially 'choked'.
After being put in to bat, it was ultimately Marco Jansen (55* off 30 balls) who came to his team's rescue. Walking out to bat with his team struggling at 77/5, Jansen scored a brilliant half-century, adding 73 runs for the sixth wicket along with Tristan Stubbs (29), to take his team to 169/8 after 20 overs.
The Proteas now need to defend this modest total, to keep their hope of making back-to-back T20 World Cup Finals alive. However, they'll be battling the weight of history along with the Kiwis at the Eden Gardens.
Here's a look back at the scar tissue formed by three decades of white-ball tournament heartbreak, a history where the dash to the finish line has resulted in a series of famous collapses.
1999: The Edgbaston Meltdown
Back in the 1999 World Cup semifinal, the scene of Allan Donald making a doomed hopeless run, having lost his bat at the non-striker's end, remains one of the most iconic ‘chokes' in cricket. Needing just one run off four balls with one wicket in hand against Australia, a mix-up between Lance Klusener and Donald saw the latter run out.
The match was tied, but South Africa was sent packing due to an inferior Net Run Rate, in what can be argued gave birth to the "choker" narrative.
2003: The DLS Embarrassment
On home soil in the 2003 ODI World Cup, the Proteas were eliminated after a bizarre miscalculation of the DLS target against Sri Lanka. South Africa needed to beat Sri Lanka to qualify for the Super Six stage.
The dressing room miscalculated the rain-revised target. Mark Boucher, believed a six had put them ahead of the required rate and went on to block the final ball of the over. In reality, South Africa were only on par, and the resulting tie ended their campaign in humiliating fashion.
2011: The Mirpur Collapse
In the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal, South Africa found themselves cruising at 108/2 while chasing a modest 222 against New Zealand. The Proteas went on to suffer a collective brain-fade, losing their next eight wickets for just 64 runs, crumbling under the weight of a chase they should have completed effortlessly.
New Zealand won by 49 runs, eliminating tournament favourites South Africa.
2015: The Grant Elliott Heist
In a dramatic rain-shortened semifinal against New Zealand, South Africa's world-class fielding, which was their traditional crown jewel, deserted them. Chasing a revised target, New Zealand needed 23 runs from the final 12 balls. A series of fumbled catches and missed run-outs set the stage for Grant Elliott to launch Dale Steyn into the stands on the penultimate ball to seal the win, handing South Africa their fourth loss in as many semi-finals.
2024: The Final Five Over Freeze
Making their maiden white-ball final appearance, the Proteas needed a run-a-ball 30 from 30 deliveries against India with six wickets in hand. Despite having the game well within their grasp, the middle order froze against the pressure of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Bumrah gave away just two runs and took a wicket in the 18th over, Arshdeep Singh followed up with a four-run penultimate over and Hardik defended 16 in the final over as the Proteas eventually fell short by seven runs.
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