South Africa – after decades of near-misses – have finally crossed the line to win silverware. The Proteas, who defeated defending champions Australia by five wickets at Lord’s to clinch the World Test Championship, delivered a phenomenal performance. This victory exorcised the ghosts of heartbreaking defeats on major ICC stages that have haunted the nation for decades. It is their first piece of silverware since 1998, when they claimed gold at the Commonwealth Games and won the inaugural Champions Trophy (then ICC Knockout Trophy) within a span of two months. Their victory this time carries another, arguably greater, significance – marking a monumental stride in South Africa’s quest to shake off one of sport’s most stigmatising nicknames: ‘chokers’. It’s a tag that has hung heavily on the country’s cricketers since 1999, so much so that even with the Proteas needing only 69 runs to win at the start of day four on Saturday, and with eight wickets in hand, many still fancied Australia to defend their crown.
For South Africa, the origin of their ‘choker’ reputation dates back to the 1999 World Cup, where they snatched a tie from the jaws of victory against Australia in the semifinals and were eliminated. Chasing 214 at Edgbaston, South Africa entered the final over at 205-9, needing nine runs to win. Lance Klusener smashed Damien Fleming’s first two deliveries for four to level the scores. With four balls remaining, South Africa were one run away from the final. After failing to score off the third ball, Klusener went for a single off the fourth. However, Allan Donald, standing at the non-striker’s end, did not hear the call and was run out by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. With the match tied, Australia advanced to the final by virtue of finishing one place above South Africa in the Super Six standings in the previous round. The Aussies went on to win that World Cup and each of the next two tournaments. South Africa have appeared in all 18 50-over and T20 World Cups since being reinstated to international cricket in 1991 following the country’s apartheid years, but they have only reached the final once. That was in last year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, where they lost to India by seven runs. It wasn’t easy for them this time either, as Australia didn’t relinquish the WTC mace without a fight, relentlessly attacking the stumps and capitalising on every opportunity. The final 69 runs required on day four were knocked off by the Proteas in over two hours with only three boundaries, with Australia fighting valiantly till the end. South Africa moved from 213-2 overnight to 285-5, completing the second-highest successful run chase in the 141-year Test history at the Home of Cricket.