South Africa have earned the tag of ‘chokers’ in ICC events because they always fail to deliver the goods when it matters the most. They start the competition as the favorites to win but somehow find a way of being eliminated from the tournaments before the final match.
Many great cricketers have come and gone, but the fate of the Proteas has remained the same. In this listicle now, we will look at the five instances when South Africa choked in main matches.
1. South Africa vs. Netherlands, 2022 T20 WC
The most recent entry on this list is the defeat against the Netherlands in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The Proteas needed only a win by a small margin to progress to the semifinals, but they lost to a lower-ranked Netherlands and crashed out of the tournament.
2. Quarterfinal defeat in 2011 WC
South Africa topped the points table in the group stage and faced off against opposite group’s fourth-best team New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinals. The Blackcaps handed them a 49-run defeat and ended their campaign.
3. Semifinal defeat in 2015 WC
Another occasion when New Zealand knocked the Proteas out of a World Cup was in 2015. It was in a rain-marred semifinal, where Grant Elliott guided the Blackcaps to an incredible win over the AB de Villiers-led outfit.
4. Super 8 exit in T20 World Cup 2007
The Proteas were undefeated in the inaugural T20 World Cup which happened on their home turf before the Super 8 match against India. They had to score only 126 runs in 20 overs to qualify for the semifinals, but the Proteas ended with 116/9 and were knocked out.
5. South Africa vs. Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2009
The Proteas came back stronger in 2009 and made it to the semifinals of the second edition of T20 WC. However, an all-round show from Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi denied them a place in the final. The Proteas, who were undefeated till then, restricted Pakistan to 149/4 in 20 overs but could not chase a modest 150-run target. They finished with 142/5 in 20 overs.
