OVER CAUTIOUS South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma plays a shot during the ICC Champions Trophy one-day international (ODI) semi-final cricket match between New Zealand and South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 5, 2025. Picture: Asif Hassan/AFP
Image: Asif Hassan/AFP
Chasing a score of over 350 for a place in the ICC Champions Trophy final was always going to be difficult, but the Proteas’ stale approach with the bat certainly didn’t help their cause.
The Proteas crashed to a 50-run defeat to New Zealand in the semi-final in Lahore on Wednesday, with a scoreline that was flattering as David Miller decided to lift off only after the result was out of reach, as he scored 100 off 67 balls not out.
It was perhaps the most hollow century scored by a Proteas player possibly ever, and to be fair, it was not even his fault.
The tone was set as Temba Bavuma scored two runs off his first 16 balls opening the batting in pursuit of 363 to win. Though he ended with 56 from 71 balls, the fact that he scored at under a run-a-ball meant the rate required during his knock only increased.
Rassie van der Dussen with his 69 off 66 balls did not improve the required rate either. Aiden Markram with his 31 off 29 was much the same.
Add in the soft dismissals, most notably of Markram and Bavuma, and it only served to shift the contest further into the hands of New Zealand.
The most shocking aspect of the loss is that’s exactly what happened to South Africa on several occasions before in ICC matches, even sometimes when rain was incorrectly blamed for the Proteas’ exit.
In the 2015 Cricket World Cup semi-final also against New Zealand, though South Africa scored a decent 281 in their rain-shortened 43-over innings batting first, slow batting up front cost them.
Hashim Amla made 10 from 14, Quinton de Kock 14 from 17, Rilee Rossouw 39 from 53. Even Faf du Plessis’s 82 needed 107 balls.
Of the main contributors, it was only AB de Villiers (65 from 45) and again Miller (49 from 18) who scored at over a strike-rate of over 82.
Further back in 2003 at the Cricket World Cup on home soil, skipper Shaun Pollock was blamed for incorrectly working out the Duckworth/Lewis par score as the hosts crashed out in the group stage against Sri Lanka, as the match ended in a tie.
In that clash, South Africa restricted Sri Lanka to 268 in their 50 overs in Durban. Though the rain came down late in SA’s innings, with their victory target adjusted accordingly, their batting in their chase was way below par.
Only Graeme Smith, opening the innings, scored at faster than a run-a-ball with 35 from 34 before he was dismissed. Even the normally attacking Herschelle Gibbs was slow with 73 from 88. An ageing Gary Kirsten was woeful with eight from 21 deliveries.
Pollock himself, who was a natural stroke player, only made 25 from 37. Even Mark Boucher, who was unbeaten at the end, did not score fast enough with 45 from 50.
Possibly, the most famous Cricket World Cup exit in 1999 for SA actually was caused by slow batting. Though Lance Klusener and Allan Donald were blamed for the defeat because of their mix-up, which resulted in a run-out and tie to send South Africa packing, it should never have been left up to them.
South Africa were set a moderate total of 214 to win against Australia, and this was another occasion when Kirsten was just way too sedate in his approach. His 18 runs opening the innings came off an agonising 42 balls. Even the legendary Jacques Kallis ate up 92 balls for his 53 runs at a strike-rate of 57.
Daryl Cullinan, who really didn’t know how to play Shane Warne, who was at the top of his game, criminally used up 30 balls for a score of six runs before he was run out.
There are even more examples, but anyone can see there’s a definite pattern here. Yes, there’s the pressure factor, but it would be naive not to recognise the problem that keeps resurfacing. And the refusal to learn from past mistakes, well, that’s just how you ensure you never win a major tournament.
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