South Africa Has Lost Seven World Cup Semi Finals: South Africa is gearing up to play their first World Cup final when they will face India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final.
The Proteas have been undefeated in this competition so far. After close wins over the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal in the group stages, South Africa defeated the United States of America, England, and the West Indies in the Super 8 Group 2.
Then, in the semis, they utterly demolished Afghanistan, bowling them out for 56 and chasing the target down in 11 overs with nine wickets to spare.
Having won their first semi-final in a World Cup, South Africa will now face the other undefeated team in this competition, India.
But the question is, why has South Africa never played in a World Cup final? Each of the Top 8 teams in the world has at least played one World Cup final. So why has South Africa, which was one of the best teams in the world in the 1990s and 2000s, never even gone past the semis?
It would shock some people to know that the clash against Afghanistan was South Africa’s eighth semi-final appearance. This means that before this tournament, the national team reached this stage seven times in the World Cup but was never able to go past it.
Today, we will discuss South Africa’s World Cup semi-final failures.
South Africa Has Lost Seven World Cup Semi Finals
The 2009 T20 World Cup saw the Proteas take on eventual winners Pakistan in the semi-final. Restricting Pakistan to 149/4 in 20 overs, South Africa was on track to win the game, needing 29 runs in the last two overs and two explosive batters in Albie Morkel and JP Duminy on strike. But just six runs in the 19th over by Umar Gul meant the win was just out of reach for South Africa, as they lost by seven runs.
South Africa’s most recent T20 World Cup semi-final came in 2014, where they came up against the best team in the tournament, India. Despite putting up 172 runs while batting first, they fell victim to an all-time classic Virat Kohli inning of 72 runs in 44 balls, which took India past the finish line with five balls and six wickets to spare.
Now we come to the ODI World Cups. After years of ban from the ICC, South Africa played their first ever World Cup in 1992. With the backdrop of the apartheid movement back in their country, the team made it to the semis. The semi-final against England might be the most controversial game of cricket ever.
The rain-affected match saw South Africa require 22 runs in 13 deliveries before the rain again hit. Due to the ‘Most Productive Overs’ rule in place for matches affected by rain, the revised target was 22 runs required in just one ball, making it impossible for them to win this match. It is considered one of the darkest days in cricket history.
Their semi-final appearance in the 1999 World Cup against Australia was controversial as well. With the scores level at 213 and one wicket in hand, South Africa’s Allan Donald was run out. But because the Aussies finished higher in the Super Six table, they made it to the final and went on to win the World Cup.
After failing in a home World Cup in 2003, South Africa made it to the semis once again in 2007. This time, a decent South African team came up against arguably the best ODI side of all time, Australia, in the mid-2000s. Having restricted Graeme Smith’s men to 149, Australia chased the target down in 32 overs with seven wickets to spare. The Kangaroos once again defeated South Africa in the semi-finals en route to a World Cup victory.
The 2015 World Cup saw South Africa take on co-hosts New Zealand in the semis in one of the greatest World Cup games of all time. Chasing a DLS-affected target of 298, the Kiwis needed 12 runs in the final over, which was bowled by Dale Steyn. After the first two balls, New Zealand needed 10 off four balls as Daniel Vettori hit a four and then took a single. With five required in two, Player of the Match and settled batter Grant Elliot hit a six to take New Zealand into a World Cup final for the first time.
This is South Africa’s last semi-final appearance before the 2024 T20 World Cup. The 2023 ODI World Cup saw them once again face Australia. In a low-scoring game, Australia chased down a 213-run target despite fierce bowling by the Proteas. And yet again, Australia defeated South Africa in the semi-final before going on to win the World Cup.
With an eighth time’s charm, South Africa defeated Afghanistan in the semis in 2024 and will play their first-ever World Cup final.
South Africa will take on India in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Saturday, June 29, at 8:00 p.m. (IST) in the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.
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