Deja vu for South Africa

It was the same old story for South Africa in the ICC World Cup as they choked on the big stage yet again.

The Proteas stand no chance of qualifying for the semifinals after Kane Williamson’s fine hundred guided the Kiwis to a four-wicket win in a low-scoring thriller at Edgbaston on Wednesday. Faf du Plessis’ men have only three points from six matches and with just three league games remaining their campaign is virtually over.

South Africa’s campaign never really took off this time. They were outplayed by hosts England in the opening game, came second best to an inspired Bangladesh, were no match for a clinical India, and squandered a golden chance to score a precious win over the Kiwis.

The only points they have managed so far have been the two for the win against lowly Afghanistan and one from the abandoned tie against the Windies. In fact, they were struggling against the Caribbeans when the rain came to their rescue.

It’s indeed surprising that a team which dominates the bilateral One-Day International series find the going tough in the World Cup.

However, in the past editions they mostly sailed through the group phase before falling at the knockout phase. Ever since their return to international cricket in 1991, this will be only the second time they have failed to make it to the knockout phase of a World Cup. The first was in 2003 when a Duckworth/Lewis score miscalculation resulted in a crucial group match against Sri Lanka ending in a tie and dashing their hopes.

The Proteas have only themselves to blame this time around as the tournament format, with each team playing the other and the top four advancing to the semifinals, means the consistent sides progress despite having a rare off day or two.

Injury woes

South Africa were not one of the favourites this time around, but they were expected to put up a tough fight. To be fair, the injuries did not help their cause. Veteran pacer Dale Steyn was ruled out without playing a single match, while they lost Lungi Ngidi in the early part of the game against Bangladesh. The young fast bowler returned only against the Black Caps on Wednesday. Experienced opener Hashim Amla took a nasty blow from England pacer Jofra Archer in the opening match and missed the tie against Bangladesh.

In the absence of Steyn and Ngidi, the pressure mounted on South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada. Though KG tried his best, wickets eluded him.

The South African batting too disappointed. They lost wickets up front and with A B de Villiers missing, the middle order lacked the firepower. In hindsight, the South African team management would rue turning down de Villiers’ offer to come out of retirement. De Villiers has the X-factor and in a marquee event like the World Cup, the Proteas badly needed his inspiring presence.

On Wednesday, they dropped catches and failed to review the not out decision against Williamson off Imran Tahir’s bowling. Television reviews confirmed it was a genuine nick. Later, as David Miller squandered a fine chance to run out Williamson it would have been deja vu for the South Africans. Four years back, it was de Villers who took the bails off without the ball in his hand and handed a reprieve to Corey Anderson in a tense chase in the semifinals at the Eden Park in Auckland. The Kiwis prevailed then too.

So what next for the Proteas? They would hope to do their best in the remaining games and try to finish mid-table in the 10-team competition. As for the future, they need to find some promising young batsmen and plan for the next World Cup to be staged in India in 2023.