Analysis

ICC World Cup 2023 : Will The Proteas Shed Their Chockers’ Tag This Time?

Ever since South Africa started to feature in the World Cups from 1992 onwards they used to choke in the crucial stage of the championship after starting the tournament with flying colours. No matter how fancied the team is.

In 1992 it was luck and the controversial rain rule that have resulted the team to catch the early flights home. In 1996 world cup as well the Proteas began the tournament in a fantastic possible manner winning every of their 5 group matches. However, in the quarter finals against the West Indies, a magnificent century by Brian Lara has knocked the South Africans out from the championship. The same story followed in the 1999 world cup as well when Lance Klusener carried the team upto the semi finals and it was looking that the Proteas march in the finals was just a matter of time. In that moment Allan Donald committed a stupid act while taking the winning run resulting the match end in a tie and since Australia beat South Africa in the super six stages it was Australia who sailed in the championship match. As a host in the 2003 world cup South Africa fared poorly and was never into the reckoning. The Proteas played very poor cricket in the semi-finals of the 2007 world cup and lost the match against the Australians. In 2011 world cup quarter finals against  New Zealand they lost the match tamely after poised to win at one stage. Same thing happened in the 2015 semi-finals against the very same Kiwis when Grant Elliott shattered the Proteas’ dreams. However in 2019 the South Africans played very poor cricket right throughout the tournament.

Also Read : Ruled By Talibans But Still…..

How will the Proteas present themselves in the 2023 world cup? Eight of the fifteen players in the squad, including skipper Temba Bavuma, will be playing their first World Cup. Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, and Rassie van der Dussen will share the responsibility in the batting department. Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi will share the responsibility in the pace bowling department whereas Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi will take care of the spinning department.

Also Read : Underdogs But Dangerous

Quinton de Kock has announced that this World Cup will be his last and he will be quitting the ODIs. Will  the team deliver something at least for de Kock? Well it’s the time to answer this multi million dollar question.

Debajit Kar

Recent Posts

PM Carney Vows To Defend Canadian Economy Against Trump’s Tariff Threat

PM Mark Carney reaffirmed his government’s resolve to shield Canadian industries from the impact of…

45 mins ago

NSA Doval Rebukes Foreign Media Over Misreporting Of ‘Operation Sindoor’

At the 62nd IIT-Madras convention, NSA Ajit Doval condemned foreign media coverage of Operation Sindoor,…

1 hour ago

Gautam Adani: ‘Spine Is Both Medical Miracle & Corporate Necessity For Self-Belief’

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani emphasised the significance of the human spine both medically and…

1 hour ago

Still Choosing Each Other: Divyanka-Vivek Celebrate 9 Years Of Togetherness

Divyanka and Vivek celebrate 9 years of togetherness, also sharing a special message that they…

3 hours ago

Anil Kumble Backs Nitish Kumar Reddy; Urges India To Stay Consistent With Team Selection

Former India captain Anil Kumble praised Nitish Kumar Reddy for his impactful performance on Day…

4 hours ago

Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla To Begin Return From ISS On July 14; Confirms Axiom Space

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station, will begin his return journey…

4 hours ago