Here's the list of South Africa's fascinating World Cup matches
South Africa are one of the top teams to have never won the Cricket World Cup. They have an unusual tendency to mess things up in the crucial stages of the tournament, especially in the knock-outs, earning them the tag 'chokers'. However, despite that, they have played some fascinating cricket. In the same light, we take a look at some of their memorable matches.
1992: A heart-breaking defeat in a promising debut season
Cricket fans would remember that South Africa enjoyed a promising debut campaign in World Cup 1992. Having played incredibly well, they suffered a heart-breaking loss in the semis to England. While they required 22 runs off 13 balls, before rain interrupted play, their target was revised to improbable 21 off one, as Duckworth-Lewis was still not in play back then.
1999: Herschelle Gibbs drops the World Cup
South Africa's next big chance came in the 1999 edition. During a Super-Six tie against Australia, Herschelle Gibbs dropped a catch of Steve Waugh, as he went on to score 120* to see Australia home. They later met in semis, as the match ended in a tie, but Australia qualified based on their better net-run-rate in the Super-Six. In essence, Gibbs dropped the Cup.
2003: Proteas knocked out at home under bizarre circumstances
Playing against Sri Lanka in the group stage, the match was rain-affected. Prior to calling the covers, the umpires confirmed as per D/L, the scores were tied at the moment. Following a message from the dressing room, Mark Boucher played the next ball for a dot, assuming they had qualified. However, South Africa needed a win to qualify, thus crashing out under bizarre circumstances.
2015: South Africa's first win in knock-outs
The 2015 World Cup saw South Africa qualify for the knock-outs for the fifth time. With their previous knock-outs having ended in disappointment, the Proteas were desperately looking for a win, against Sri Lanka. It was a low-scoring tie at Sydney, as Lanka were bundled for a paltry total of 133, while South Africa won the match by nine wickets.
