When it comes to ICC (International Cricket Council) tournaments, many a fan has said that the Proteas should rather just stay home. The heartache that the average South African cricket supporter has had to endure over the last 33 years has been nothing short of borderline psychosis.
Forgetting the first Cricket World Cup that the Proteas took part in after isolation ended, in 1992 in Australia, the South African cricket team has had to wear the “Choker” tag ever since. The semi-final in 1992 against England had nothing to do with choking in a pressure situation – it had everything to do with a one-sided, idiotic rain calculation that favoured England as South Africa went from needing 22 off 13 balls down to needing 22 from just one ball.
The Proteas were not expected to advance that far and were the dark-horse of that tournament, however, the following years would tear down the cricket faithful, leaving South Africans with only Rugby to be proud of – barring some wonderful red-ball captaincy from Graeme Smith that did allow the Proteas to hold aloft the Test Mace.
The ignominy of that 1999 semi-final against Australia when Allan Donald didn’t run after Lance Klusener had bludgeoned South Africa to victory in almost every match. Everything seemed primed for the Proteas to win the trophy after securing the ICC Champions Trophy the year before, beating the West Indies by 4 wickets in Dhaka.
Yet, eight years later, the Proteas would capitulate again against Australia in St Lucia, this time after Herschelle Gibbs had raided his herb garden.
In 2015, South African-born Grant Elliot smashed Dale Steyn for 6 off the penultimate ball of the match to send New Zealand through to the final. And then just two years ago, Australia were once again the villain in a Proteas semi-final capitulation, this time in the cauldron of Eden Gardens in Calcutta.
South Africa did take one step closer to “sealing the deal” when they made the final of the T20 World Cup last year, only to lose to India at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
South Africa’s first five Tests of the current calendar year did not read well – one win, three losses and a draw. The solitary victory was a massive innings clobbering of India in Centurion, but then a 7-wicket defeat in Cape Town was followed by the two-test defeat to New Zealand, a tour that caused many, including myself, to criticize Cricket South Africa (CSA).
CSA had decided to send an understrength Test squad to New Zealand as the tour clashed with the more cash-lucrative SA20 – the Proteas duly lost 2-0 and were really up against the wall.
However, seven-consecutive Test victories over the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, meant the Proteas ended top of the ICC Test standings and would face their old foe, Australia, in the final at Lords in June 2025.
Pundits – many of them English – criticized the Test format, saying that South Africa did not deserve to be in the final considering that they had beaten “nobody”. Well Mr Michael Vaughn, perhaps if England, Australia and India stopped greedily mopping up all the fixtures, then a fairer format would be acceptable?
Temba Bavuma had won the toss on Wednesday morning and had no hesitation in asking Pat Cummins’ side to bat first under cloudy skies. The decision was the correct one as Australia went to lunch on the first morning, four-down with only 67 on the board. Steve Smith (66) and Beau Webster (72) wrestled back some of the advantage with a 79-run stand for the fifth wicket before man-of-the-match Aiden Markram (1-5) broke through, having Smith edging behind to Kyle Verreynne.
Webster and Alex Carey (23) added a further 49 for the sixth wicket before Kagiso Rabada wrapped up the tail, adding his name to the Lord’s honors board, ending the day with 5-51. Proteas coach Shukri Conrad would have been delighted with Australia being dismissed for just 212 in the WTC Final – however, that smile was quickly wiped off his face.
Markram (0), Wiaan Mulder (6), Tristan Stubbs (2) and Ryan Rickelton (16) were all back in the hut at the close with the Proteas struggling on 43 for four.
South Africa lost just one wicket in the morning session, that of Bavuma for 36 with Verreynne and David Beddingham fighting through to lunch with the total on 121 for five, still 91 in arrears.
As has been with South African cricket over the years, that ICC heartache was to rear its ugly head once again as Cummins (6-28) ripped through the Proteas after lunch on the second day, dismissing the table-toppers for just 138, handing Australia a first innings advantage of 74 runs.
As we have seen so many times over the years, like with Hansie Cronje and Smith, the Proteas fought back through Rabada (4-59) and Lungi Ngidi 3-38). The pair reduced the Aussies to 144 for eight at the close of day two, an overall lead of 218.
Carey made a fighting 43 while Mitchell Starc provided a brilliant unbeaten 58 at the backend of the innings before Markram brought a close to the Australian second innings, dismissing Josh Hazlewood for 17, leaving the Proteas to chase 282 for victory.
The target – if achieved – would be the second-highest target successfully chased down at Lord’s in English history however, the team knuckled down and went for it.
Rickelton fell for just six but Markram (136) and Mulder (27) steadied the ship with a 61-run stand for the second wicket. Starc (3-66) made the breakthrough, having Mulder snatched up in the covers by Manus Labuschagne. There seemed to be a sense that the Proteas would now collapse….but….
Markram was joined by Bavuma and the pair showed that old South African fighting spirit. Even when Bavuma had tweaked his hamstring, he kept on fighting through the pain, hobbling for singles and limping back for seconds.
Markram had raised his fifty off 69 balls while Bavuma needed 83 deliveries, but in a fitting way to end the third day, Markram whipped the ball through the legside for a boundary to bring up the only century of the match, from 156 balls, to end the day with the Proteas on 213 for two, needing just 69 runs to win and the third-wicket stand unbroken on 143.
There was now belief, belief that the Proteas could actually pull this one off. To smite the pain off of the last 27 years from the face of South African Cricket, but, there was always that nagging feeling – the same feeling that the Proteas faced after lunch on day 2.
Bavuma fell early on the fourth morning, edging Cummins (1-59) through to Carey behind the stumps for a brilliant, captains-like innings of 66. Stubbs then fell for 8 and suddenly, the nerves began to jingle. The stomach started to churn – “Was it happening again? Were the ICC demons entering the most hallowed ground in World Cricket to break South African hearts once again?”
NO! Not this time! Markram took his side almost to the brink of victory, along with Beddingham (221 not out), cracking a further three boundaries from his overnight 11, before flicking Hazlewood (1-58) straight to Travis Head in the mid-wicket region. Such was disbelief of the dismissal, no one celebrated with South Africa needing just six runs to win.
Every Australian player ran up to Markram for a handshake, a pat on the back and a congratulations on an innings that had just won his team the coveted Test Mace – and more importantly, an ICC Trophy that most thought would never happen in their lifetime.
Despite a few nervy moments, Bedingham and Verreynne saw to it that South Africa celebrated a famous 5-wicket triumph at the home of cricket. The players, support and coaching staff, fans at the ground, around the world and more importantly, at home, cried out in celebration, a happiness that has long eluded the South Africa cricket fan.
Many shed a tear along with Keshav Maharaj and Conrad, Ngidi, despite being vilified on social media after his first innings effort, was speechless at the end. Marco Jansen said “I just prayed that I didn’t have to go out there to get the winning runs” while towering over Graeme Smith.
Rassie Erasmus guided the Springboks to back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023 and now Conrad, the former Cape Cobras coach, has guided the Proteas to be World Test Champions. No other country in the world can claim having achieved that, being both Test Cricket and Rugby world champions at the same time.
The Proteas have finally broken the chain that hung around their necks with the tag “Chokers”, and have now replaced it with a more distinguished medal of honor, with a tag stating “Champions”.
Top Draw reporting Mate.
I look forward to the next article.