ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Why cry for South Africa?
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Why cry for South Africa?
Four semi-finals, four defeats; people have already started referring to South Africa’s defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 as tragic and have cried alongside AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel. But is there really a reason to mourn South Africa’s exit? Abhishek Mukherjee looks back.
Fans following ICC Cricket World Cup cricket have their targets. Some want India to lose because “they seem to own the world of cricket”; Sri Lanka, for they “play boring cricket”; Pakistan, for “they tamper balls”; Australia, for “they are too arrogant”; and England, well because they are England. West Indies have been ubiquitous favourites over years, for they have seldom failed to entertain; and — this has perhaps to do with human psychology — the “minnows” have always managed to attract support, especially when they manage to pull off an upset. READ: New Zealand vs South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Semi-Final: South African innings highlights
South Africa and New Zealand seem to have no haters, though there is a difference between the attitudes of the fans towards the two. New Zealand have always been the also-rans: everyone seems to have taken for granted the fact that they would reach the semi-final and go no further. South Africa, on the other hand, have always been among the favourites, and over years fans have somehow seemed heartbroken at their exit at any stage. Read: New Zealand vs South Africa, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 1: New Zealand innings Highlights
I was not among the thousands who have been mourning over South Africa being knocked out today at Eden Park. There have been speculations that South Africa lost when they were peaking — but were they peaking at all? Sri Lanka were the only major side they have beaten, losing comprehensively to India and choking (that word had to come at some point of time) against Pakistan. When did they peak? Read: Elliott, McCullum and Anderson win it for New Zealand
Compare this to the juggernaut they were up against: New Zealand have won all six of their league matches before crushing West Indies in the quarter-final at Wellington. It does not end there: coming into the semi-final New Zealand had won nine matches on the trot; earlier this year they had also bowled out their opposition seven times on the trot (and 10 times in 11 matches). ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
New Zealand were easily the better side of the two coming into the match; New Zealand handled pressure better; and New Zealand won the match; why feel sad if the stronger side had won a crunch match? Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Did a crucial decision go against South Africa? Did any outstanding performance go in vain? There were some quality performances — but none to match Grant Elliott’s; if David Miller had blasted his way to 18-ball 49, Brendon McCullum’s assault had got him to a 26-ball 59. Elliott made the difference between the sides; and the better side won. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
You could almost sense South Africa were overdoing it. They wanted to win it desperately, but they were perhaps a bit too desperate about it, focusing more on the result than on the process. AB de Villiers seemed to be trying too hard — often making near-impossible lunges for the ball; he seemed too eager when he fumbled with the ball and missed out on running out Corey Anderson, and he was not the only one seen panicking. Top 10 wicketkeepers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Rilee Rossouw should have run Elliott out, but Quinton de Kock made a complete mess of the return; Farhaan Behardien dropped Elliott before JP Duminy crashed into him; twice in the last over did de Kock miss when Daniel Vettori ran for byes; and Dale Steyn committed the cardinal sin of bowling length-ball when New Zealand needed five from two. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Did South Africa deserve to win today? More importantly, did South Africa deserve to win any of the matches that have led to their exits from World Cup? Let us have a look.
They had taken advantage of the rules and bowled five overs less — a fact that often goes unnoticed — in World Cup 1992 semi-final. They were perfectly aware of the rules, and, of course, rain did not arrive without a warning; 22-from-13 was supposed to come down to 22-from-1; and yet, the Sydney Cricket Ground scoreboard flashing SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS 22 RUNS FROM 1 BALL is the most vividly remembered image of the match. Read: Were South Africa really robbed of victory against England
Come 1996, and they were up against West Indies in the quarter-final; they were, for some reason, under the impression that Pat Symcox was the better man against Brian Lara than Allan Donald. Even after Lara played one of the greatest World Cup innings of all time, South Africa were cruising, with 86 needed from 81 balls with seven wickets in hand. They managed to out-choke West Indies. Read: Brian Lara deliveries knock-out punch to South Africa
What about 1999, when Herschelle Gibbs dropped Steve Waugh, and Australia went on to go past South Africa in the Super Sixes? That defeat also cost them a place in the final, for the semi-final at Edgbaston — the greatest One-Day International (ODI) of all time —ended in a tie: as everyone would remember, South Africa, chasing 214, added 48 for the opening stand and reached 145 for four; and for some inexplicable reason, the match ended in a messy run-out with a solitary run needed with a couple of deliveries in their kitty. And everyone seemed sorry about them.
They made a mess of the calculations in 2003, playing out a dot ball when all they had to do was to take a single. They committed hara-kiri in 2007, going all guns blazing against Glenn McGrath and capitulating tamely. And against New Zealand in 2011, they failed to chase 114 in 156 balls with eight wickets in hand. Read: South Africa fail again, this time on calculations
As I said, I am not going to shed a single tear for the Proteas — not even for Steyn or de Villiers, two of the greatest cricketers to have embraced the sport — for the simple reason that they were the weaker team, and could not handle pressure when it mattered. They have earned the C-tag that rhymes with joker; seven times out of seven is a count that you cannot ignore. Read: New Zealand spinners choke South Africa in 2011 World Cup
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)