South Africa Cricket Team

At the 1992 World Cup, the team was on the cusp of a fairytale appearance in the final when rain stopped play, with the Proteas needing 22 off 13 balls for victory. But, by the time they came back on the field just 10 minutes later, the scoreboard showed they needed an impossible 22 off one ball under the rules governing rain-affected matches at the time.

If forces beyond their control robbed South Africa of an appearance in the 1992 final, they themselves were to blame for their ouster from the 1996 World Cup in the quarter-final and the 1999 edition in the semis.

In 1996, South Africa made a selection blunder in omitting Allan Donald for spinner Paul Adams on a seamers paradise against West Indies in Karachi. They were blown away by a 111 from Brian Lara.

Three years later, they experienced one of the most unbelievable climaxes to a cricket match. With one run needed of four balls, Lance Klusener, who was batting with No 11 Allan Donald, set off for a single off a mishit. But Donald stayed in his ground, dropped his bat and finally ran as a relay throw involving Mark Waugh and Damien Fleming ended with wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist completing a run-out. The match was tied but eventual champions Australia went into the final on a superior net run rate.

The team suffered from more misfortune. At the group stage of the 2003 World Cup, Shaun Pollock got his Duckworth-Lewis calculations horribly wrong against Sri Lanka and the tournament hosts were out in the group stage. In what was effectively a knock-out game against Sri Lanka, rain started pouring down. From the dressing room a message was relayed to Klusenar and Mark Boucher – 229 was needed by the end of the 45th over. Boucher, having hit Muralidaran for six to reach 229, celebrated then blocked the final ball of the 45th over and turned down a single as the heavens opened up again. As the rain tumbled, the Proteas’ jubilation turned sour as they realised that 229 was the score for a tie, not a win.

The team exited the 2007 World Cup in the semi-finals and the 2011 edition in the quarters, sans drama on both occasions.

At the 2015 World Cup, their old adversary — rain — once again returned to haunt them in the semi-finals by curtailing the match. With two balls left, New Zealand needed five to win. A nerveless Elliott sealed the win by smashing fast bowler Dale Steyn for six off the second-last delivery.

The 2019 World Cup saw South Africa give one of the worst performances in their World Cup history. With three wins in nine games, the Faf du Plessis-led team finished seventh in the points and were eliminated from the semi-final race early without putting up a fight."