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Have South Africa taken a big step in removing the CHOKERS tag

Spark

Global Moderator
You cannot legitimately argue that "oh well, SA just got badly outplayed, there was nothing they could have done" given the way Kallis, ABdV and Duminy (especially Duminy) got out.
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Haha and it's not just a coincidence that SA suddenly get outplayed in a must-win knock-out match, yet are always favourites or second favourites before the tournament.
 

pup11

International Coach
The fact of the matter is everytime South Africa loses in a knock out game one shouldn't just brush aside the other team's effort.

If you look at South Africa's worldcup record:
# 1992- they were robbed by the D/L method.
#1996- Lara's brilliance knocked them out.
# 1999- Warne worked his magic.
# 2003- They misinterpreted the D/L method.
#2007- Were blow away by McGrath & Co.
#2011- A very determined New Zealand side got the better of them.

So if you look at it the South Africans have either been very unlucky or they have just run into a team that has outplayed them on that given day.

Last night New Zealand's intensity and hunger were top notch and South Africa really could match that intensity, so its pretty unfair to say New Zealand won just because the Saffers choked.
 

Bun

Banned
The fact of the matter is everytime South Africa loses in a knock out game one shouldn't just brush aside the other team's effort.

If you look at South Africa's worldcup record:
# 1992- they were robbed by the D/L method.
#1996- Lara's brilliance knocked them out.
# 1999- Warne worked his magic.
# 2003- They misinterpreted the D/L method.
#2007- Were blow away by McGrath & Co.
#2011- A very determined New Zealand side got the better of them.

So if you look at it the South Africans have either been very unlucky or they have just run into a team that has outplayed them on that given day.

Last night New Zealand's intensity and hunger were top notch and South Africa really could match that intensity, so its pretty unfair to say New Zealand won just because the Saffers choked.
:laugh:
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
The fact of the matter is everytime South Africa loses in a knock out game one shouldn't just brush aside the other team's effort.

If you look at South Africa's worldcup record:
# 1992- they were robbed by the D/L method.
#1996- Lara's brilliance knocked them out.
# 1999- Warne worked his magic.
# 2003- They misinterpreted the D/L method.
#2007- Were blow away by McGrath & Co.
#2011- A very determined New Zealand side got the better of them.

So if you look at it the South Africans have either been very unlucky or they have just run into a team that has outplayed them on that given day.

Last night New Zealand's intensity and hunger were top notch and South Africa really could match that intensity, so its pretty unfair to say New Zealand won just because the Saffers choked.
In 1999, they needed 1 off 4 balls with a wicket in hand.. None of this Warne magic ****.. As good as he was, RSA had no right tieing that game..
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
The fact of the matter is everytime South Africa loses in a knock out game one shouldn't just brush aside the other team's effort.

If you look at South Africa's worldcup record:
# 1992- they were robbed by the D/L method.
No D/L back then. The rain rule did cost them but they were unforgivably slow in their own overs with the ball so they helped create the problem.

# 1999- Warne worked his magic.
They were cruising chasing a crap score until Warne came on. Warne broke the back of the batting but with Klusener going hard, they put themselves into a massively favourable position. And then Donald didn't run......

# 2003- They misinterpreted the D/L method.
Absolutely no excuse = absolutely zero sympathy.

#2007- Were blow away by McGrath & Co.
haha, come on. Such a choke. Kallis stepping away to thrash McGrath and getting bowled? Smith getting bowled walking down the track? Prince with a wild swipe? Those are all pressure-releasing shots, champ.

Anyway, the choker tag isn't one based entirely on logic, other teams choke. So trying to refute it factually is ultimately meaningless. But very few other teams have anywhere near the same shaddenfraude quotient when they do fall in a heap. SA just have the whiff of chokers about them. Play enough sport and you can smell it a mile off.
 
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Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
haha, come on. Such a choke. Kallis stepping away to thrash McGrath and getting bowled? Smith getting bowled walking down the track? Prince with a wild swipe? Those are all pressure-releasing shots, champ.
Exactly.

2007 was the biggest choke. Ponting and Hayden bagged them for scoring slowly before the match, and they responded by playing into Australia's hands and trying to charge and score at 10rpo :laugh:
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
All that was missing was Ponting saying "Syke!" at the press conference after.
 
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Spark

Global Moderator
Haha and it's not just a coincidence that SA suddenly get outplayed in a must-win knock-out match, yet are always favourites or second favourites before the tournament.
Yeah precisely. If they'd been knocked out narrowly vs India or SL having fought til the end, the choking tag would be much less justified despite their pitiful knockout record (0% success rate in WCs). But instead they committed high-grade self-immolation against a team that was not exactly working magic, and by common consent. Exceptionally disciplined, committed, hungry and with immense self-belief but those shouldn't have, in the end, made a difference to the result, given the quality of SA's batting lineup. But they just ****ed themselves immensely by playing deadset moronic cricket. NZ deserved the win because exploiting an opponent's weaknesses is a crucial and highly commendable skill, but that doesn't mean the weaknesses aren't there, and they aren't glaring.

With the 07 match... I wonder how much of it was the fear that if they didn't get a gigantic score it wouldn't be safe, having been absolutely murdered by Aus top order earlier on...
 
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ankitj

Hall of Fame Member
Incredibly bad luck also follows them around. Amla and Kallis can consider themselves unlucky for their dismissal. ABD too to a lesser extent.
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
New Zealand v South Africa, World Cup 2011: South Africa need to face their reality | Cricket Features | ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 | ESPN Cricinfo

What will be important is that they accept the reality of it, that they see it for what it was - a faltering when things became too difficult - and not sugarcoat it as anything else. If South Africa are able to confront the mental aspect of the game head on, and not hide behind gimmicks, there's every chance the wounds can heal fast. The danger will arise if they don't, and if they allow the chokers' tag to be hung around their necks, while silently trying to shrug it off and publicly pretending it's not there. Then, it will become a noose again.

Denial helps nothing.
 
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Spark

Global Moderator
Incredibly bad luck also follows them around. Amla and Kallis can consider themselves unlucky for their dismissal. ABD too to a lesser extent.
ABdV can call himself unlucky but it was a different sort of luck - that was a massive ****up by Faf. Kallis's shot was utterly unnecessary.
 

pup11

International Coach
In 1999, they needed 1 off 4 balls with a wicket in hand.. None of this Warne magic ****.. As good as he was, RSA had no right tieing that game..
They were cruising at one stage before Warne ripped through their top order and the only reason Saffers came that close in the end was due to some late-order brilliance from Klusner.

The fact of the matter is that, that was and still remains for me the best game of one day cricket I've ever seen, simply because the balance of the scales kept shifting right through the 100 overs.
 

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