Can the Proteas bridge the gap between 'Chokers' and 'Champions'?

The perennial Chokers – ask any cricket fan and he will be able to associate it with the South African national cricket team.

The Proteas start every tournament as favourites, but they choke at that stage where they need to win every match. They usually come out as champions in their respective groups, but go down to one of the underdogs in the the knockout stages. Apart from the 1998 ICC Champions Trophy (1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy), they have no major ICC tournament to boast of.

In the 1996 ICC World Cup, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

In the 1999 ICC World cup, South Africa were the favourites to win. They had Hansie Cronje as their captain, with some of the best players in their squad. They had Allan Donald, the white lightning, Lance “Zulu” Klusener, Kirsten, Gibbs, Kallis, all at the pinnacle of their careers. It was Klusener who led the Proteas to the semifinal. Against Australia, needing 9 to win off the last over, he smashed two boundaries. In the 4th ball of the last over, he called for a single. It was Donald who choked at the non-striker’s end, with the match ending in a heart break for the Proteas. They bowed out to Autralia on net run-rate after the match ended in a tie.

In 2003, South Africa were the host nation. Every cricket analyst had them as their favourite to win at home. In the match against the Kiwis, it was team management’s miscalculation of runs that brought them to their sad fate. Mark Boucher hit the fifth ball of the over for a six, only to block the last ball thinking that they had won. But luck had deserted them yet again as they fell short by 1 run.

In 2007, the ICC T20 World Cup, they were eliminated in the super 8s. India and New Zealand progressed to the semifinals on higher run-rates, leaving the Proteas yet again to their misery.

Same happened with them in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup when they lost to New Zealand in the knockout stages.

In the ICC Champions Trophy, apart from the inaugural one back in 1998, the Proteas have always choked. In 2000 and 2002, India knocked them out. In 2004, the team from the Caribbean proved to be their nemesis. In 2006, again West Indies and New Zealand got the better of them.

It is again an ICC tournament, the Champions Trophy. It isn’t as big as the World Cup, but has its own importance. The Proteas start again as favourites. They have an able captain in AB de Villiers, who was has the potential to bat for two days in Tests, as well as score a winning knock in an ODI or a T20 game. They have a youngster like David Miller who has proved his mettle in the recently concluded Indian Premier League.

Their bowling attack boasts of players like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who can send a chill down the spine of any batsman facing them. They have a complete team capable of winning any match against any opposition.

It is their turn to shake away the perennial chokers tag that has been haunting them for more than almost two decades. It is for the Proteas to take back the respect they deserve.