New Delhi: The South African cricket team has reached the semi-finals of another World Cup and is in a familiar situation. This is nothing new – they have reached this stage in ICC World Cups (T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup) eight times before.
Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!
Although South Africa broke the curse by winning the World Test Championship (WTC) last year, South Africa has yet to crack the puzzle in the limited-overs World Cup.
They have only reached the final once, losing to India in the last Caribbean T20 World Cup. Their inability to handle the pressure in the knockout stages of the big limited-overs format was always a talking point and gave them the label of ‘smothers’.
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad not only refused to utter the word “choker” when reminded of the unfounded label following their five-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the last Super 8s, but also took the opportunity to mock the “cupcake” ad aired by the state broadcaster ahead of last week’s match against India.
“As for the ‘C’ word, I think there’s another word, cupcake! I think we kind of like that,” he said in a tongue-in-cheek manner, referring to the ad – which showed a South African choking on a cupcake and then being handed a bottle of water – which has since been taken off the air.
However, judging by the way his side have been playing, Konrad knows this game provides them with an ideal opportunity to end their quest for the white-ball world title.
South Africa have proven that they can not only win clinically but also fight their way through. While wins against the likes of India, New Zealand and West Indies were comprehensive, they also defeated Afghanistan in a nail-biting Super Over and barely qualified against Zimbabwe, two games in which South Africa were clearly not at their best.
“That’s the sign of a really good team. When things get tough, they’re still able to produce something and eke out the right result. I think the team has that composure, especially in the batting unit, that no matter what the situation is, someone will always find a way,” Conrad said.
While the batsmen have done their duty, it was the performance of the South African pacers on the Indian wicket that was a revelation. “You can only tailor your jacket to the fabric you’re made of. South African cricket has always had fast bowlers. We’re talking about players who can bowl 145-plus. What’s important in India is if you can nail the yorker, get some variety and maybe some good pace on a wicket that might be a bit uncertain. That’s worked out for us,” Konrad said.
South Africa remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament thanks to a good synergy between their batting and bowling units, making them favorites for Wednesday’s semi-final against New Zealand in Kolkata.
