Proteas Women World Cup final loss is another painful chapter for South African cricket

2003 Cricket World Cup, South Africa. South Africa v Sri Lanka, Kings Mead, Durban. 3 March 2003. Shaun Pollock watches the rain come down.2003 Cricket World Cup, South Africa.(Photo Tertius Pickard Gallo Images.)

By Yanga Sibembe

22 Oct 2024

South Africa is no stranger to disappointing outcomes at cricket World Cups. The Proteas’ defeat by New Zealand on Sunday was the latest chapter of South Africa being the Greek tragedy of international cricket.

South Africa and cricket World Cup heartbreaks… A tale as old as time. That’s how it seems, at least. South Africans have suffered enough global showpiece heartache since readmission to international cricket to last multiple lifetimes.

The Proteas Women’s defeat to New Zealand in the final of the recently concluded T20 World Cup added to this long list of disappointments for the South African cricketing community.

Especially as the Proteas came into the final against the New Zealanders as strong favourites to break South Africa’s barren silverware run at major cricket tournaments.

They played a sensational match to defeat six-time T20 world champions Australia in the semifinal. By contrast, New Zealand did not play their best cricket as they snuck past the West Indies by eight runs in their semifinal.

Playing in their second consecutive World Cup final after reaching their first ever at home in 2023, South Africa were on 58 for one at the end of the eighth over.

They appeared on course to truly challenge the White Ferns’ competitive total of 158, which partly came about as a result of the Proteas’ bowlers donating 15 extra runs via errors such as no-balls and wides.

Needing 10 runs per over in the final 10 overs, eight South African wickets fell instead as they capitulated and finished on 126 for nine, thus suffering their second T20 Women’s World Cup final loss in as many years.

Historic heartache

The defeat added another chapter to the book of South African cricket heartache at World Cups, whose opening chapter was written at the 1992 50-over men’s World Cup.

After being exiled from international competition due to apartheid, the Proteas made a grand entrance as they reached the semifinals on their World Cup debut. The tournament – which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand – had been disrupted by rain throughout.

Mark Boucher of South Africa is bowled by Glenn McGrath of Australia in the World Cup semifinal at Edgbaston in Birmingham, England, in 1999. The match finished a tie as Australia went through after finishing higher in the Super Six table. (Photo: Ross Kinnaird /Allsport)

That was the case in the semifinal between South Africa and England, where South Africa needed a realistic target of 22 from 13 in order to reach their first World Cup final.

However, the rain came pouring down in Sydney and halted the match. Calculations via the Most Productive Overs method left South Africa needing an impossible 21 runs from a single ball for victory. England went through to the final, where they were downed by Pakistan.

Though South Africans were devastated by the outcome of that semifinal, one positive from that disappointing result was the subsequent birth of the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method, which remains the standard way to crunch numbers in rain-affected matches.

Mix-up in 1999

Seven years after their final hopes were washed away by the rain in Sydney, the Proteas returned with renewed vigour for the 1999 World Cup in the UK and Netherlands. The team boasted some of the most talented players to ever grace a cricket pitch, from Jacques Kallis to Shaun Pollock, Jonty Rhodes and Allan Donald.

Hence they breezed through their group, finishing at the summit after winning four of their five matches in a pool that also had the likes of India, England and Sri Lanka.

After ending the Super Six stage in third spot, the Proteas booked themselves a date with Australia in the semifinals.

South Africa were on course to reach the required 214 for victory. In the final over, they required one run off four balls for victory, with one wicket in hand.

An inspired Lance Klusener was on strike and he had Allan Donald for company. Then disaster struck with the scores level at 213 each. Klusener called for a single, which the ball-watching Donald did not hear. In that frantic scenario, Donald dropped his ball and was run out.

Allan Donald of South Africa during the World Cup semi-final against Australia at Edgbaston in 1999. (Photo: Clive Mason /Allsport)

Shaun Pollock watches the rain come down as South Africa face Sri Lanka in the 2003 Cricket World Cup at Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Tertius Pickard / Gallo Images.)

At the time there was no super over used as a tiebreaker and Australia qualified for the final because they had won the Super Six match between the sides. They also had a superior run-rate to South Africa from the Super Six stage.

“I needed therapy to get over it,” Donald told BBC Sport of that moment in 2023. “I couldn’t watch it. I couldn’t talk about it. But I got over it. It’s become part of me.”

Though that fateful day in Birmingham is undoubtedly the most painful defeat for South Africans, a few more followed after it.

In 2003, on home soil, the Proteas were eliminated in the group stage after misinterpreting the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method requirements in a rain-affected group game against Sri Lanka. The contest ended in a tie as the Proteas finished fifth in Pool B.

The Proteas Men eventually reached a World Cup final at the 2024 T20 World Cup, inspired by the feat of the Proteas Women doing the same on home soil in 2023.

However, just as the women were downed by Australia in their debut World Cup decider in Cape Town, the men suffered a narrow seven-run defeat to India in their first-ever final.

“The monkey has almost become a gorilla now and until we win a World Cup, it’s always going to be there, I’m afraid.” former Proteas coach Mickey Arthur said in 2011.

The positive is that the South Africans, both men and women, have hurdled the semifinal stage which has historically been a stumbling block for both sides.

Now all that remains for them is to completely shake off the gorilla and deliver an elusive World Cup to their fans. DM

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South Africa

Historic heartache

Mix-up in 1999