You know that dreaded C-word that follows the Proteas around. Well, losing the ICC T20 World Cup final against India was not that despite many on social media claiming it was another example of choking by the South African cricket team.
First, making the final was an achievement in itself. The team hasn’t made the final in 32 years and getting there was remarkable despite a few games in which they clawed to victory.
The group stages saw them take on teams not known for their cricketing prowess. In the Super 8 stage, big wins came against England and a strong West Indies team. This was a novelty for fans. Beating them was a breath of fresh air especially West Indies, who were flying high and could have knocked the Proteas out. So there was optimism going into the final taking on the mighty India, a country that can field two or three teams that will be strong enough to beat most nations.
Getting into the final needing about a run a ball with five overs to spare under normal circumstances was a very winnable position, especially with David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen at the crease looking solid. But the best bowler in the world, Jasprit Bumrah, still had two overs to bowl and the bowlers were next in line to bat. One wicket for India would have seen those not known for their batting come in.
And that’s exactly how it played out. Klaasen fell to Hardik Pandya, arguably off a silly shot and the bowlers needed to come in and bat. Marco Jansen, the best batsman of the bowlers, fell to a Bumrah blinder and the writing was on the wall. So although it was not a choke, questions should be asked: why did the top order fail, leaving the bowlers to do a good job?
Captain Aidan Markram and Reeza Hendricks fell without making any real contributions. They were needed to score runs and not leave it up to the lower order. Should other players have played, or should the order have shifted?
We can also ask questions on shot selection. Quinton De Kock and Tristan Stubbs, we’re looking at you. The pair built the platform for the Proteas to win it before playing shots that saw them fall. Together with Klaasen, the trio will be rueing the way they went out leaving too much to do at the back end.
That doesn’t speak to a choke. Instead it speaks to a lack of big match temperament for players who’ve never been in this position before. N fault of their own, really. They’ll be kicking themselves about how they went out, but it will be a learning curve. If they find themselves in such a position again, they’ll be better and bring it home.
The team is a bunch of winners regardless of the result. They fought to the end; they put on a worthy display against a strong team. They were steely throughout the tournament, which was led well by Rob Walters and the coaching team.
They’ll ask internal questions about whether they could have restricted India to fewer runs; whether they got the right batsmen in — was Tabraiz Shamsi in for Ottneil Baartman the right call? — and they’ll look at game management in a run chase. But they made the nation proud. They got the monkey off their back, making a final where many other Proteas teams have stumbled.
The odds were against them. From nice pitches to ideal playing times, India had it all. But don’t take anything away from the Indian team. It was a batting masterclass from Virat Kohli in the final, Bumrah’s bowling was sensational throughout the tournament, Rohit Sharma made correct captain decisions and Surakumar Yadhav’s catch was brilliant. They were sensational throughout the tournament.
It was a great tournament overall. Minnow teams set the world alight — Afghanistan, the US, Nepal and Scotland made a name for themselves in this tournament.
The pitches definitely need work, the rain caused its usual havoc and Gulbadin Naib certainly needs to work on his acting after faking a hamstring injury in an attempt to slow a game down.
But for the Proteas, it was a job well done, a successful campaign even though it didn’t deliver the ultimate prize.
Markram needs to come good with the bat. A captain who doesn’t do his primary role as a batsman does not lead from the front. His team needs to know they can rely on him.
The question of who must partner De Kock remains, although I doubt he’ll be at the next T20 World Cup. Maybe it’s time for fresh blood, or maybe the selectors will find a top three that scores and alleviates pressure on Miller, Klaasen, Stubbs and the lower order. Either way, it’s an exciting time to be a Proteas fan.
The team is clearly gutted and will be hurting. Fans need to take the loss on the chin and rally behind the team in the future. Let’s move past the choking narrative, negative Nancies, it helps no one.
