Getting rid of the ‘Choker’ tag is a mental thing for South Africa - Opinion
It is irksome for any sporting fan to watch the most talented side in the world falter to outlandish pressure. The English football team comes to mind and their failings in various world tournaments after 1966. In cricket, the choker tag will always be associated
with the South African cricket team. The last time a major tournament was won by this talented set of players was in 1998 in Dhaka. The trophy with cobwebs is still in the cabinet, yet it is shocking to note that a side which has boasted the likes of Lance
Klusener, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JH-Kallis-c1692 and Alan Donald has grossly underachieved in major tournaments.
The reasons are hard to comprehend. Since 1998, South Africa has been a consistent side which has revolutionized the concept of inner ring fielding and bowling out the opposition by giving little away. They have always been ranked amongst the top four sides
in the world, where a brief slump in 2004 was largely a product of a cumbersome rebuilding process.
‘Cometh the hour, cometh the champion’, is a phrase that would haunt the Proteas however, and their fervent fans to the very core.
One can think of the 1999 Cricket World Cup, where Alan Donald’s stupidity proved to be suicidal. Then came the 2003 farce when the heavens opened up in Kingsmead to wash away any chances of qualifying, amid a gross miscalculation. The 2007 semi final was
another farce where South Africa slumped to their lowest world cup total against a side which is known to clutch. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 galloped their way to yet another world cup final by beating the Proteas by seven wickets at St. Lucia.
Then, with a string of strong performances in the lead up to the 2011 Cricket World Cup, much was expected from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 in a must win quarterfinal encounter
at Dhaka by 49 runs, after they were cruising in pursuit of a modest 221. This was a side which held the distinction of bowling out every opposition in the tournament.
If the above events are implausible to perceive then the truth lies in the very nature of South Africa’s approach towards cricket in big matches. It cannot be confined to over confidence but can also be attributed to a complete loss of confidence when the
going gets tough. A prime example was http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Stephen-Rodger-Waugh-c91216 in celebration, during a nail biting encounter in the 1999 World Cup at Headingly. South Africa lost that game which proved critical in deciding their World Cup final place
after the tie at Edgbaston. Such brain washes are normally expected when a quarterfinal or semi final comes around the corner. The skills and prowess of the South Africans tend to desert them. Yet as much as sport is a physical game it has a mental aspect
to it which has been shunned, time and time again by the Proteas.
If one is to assess their recent choke against the Black Caps in Mirpur, it is hard to believe how a player of the caliber of A.B De Villiers' decided to run like a headless chicken to the strikers end when the ball was in the hands of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Guptill-c1980. De
Villiers' running, normally, is a thing delightful to watch where his quick feet are hard to override. Similarly, J. P Duminy’s stroke to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/NL-McCullum-c2120, which left the Proteas in a precarious situation, is not a shot that you associate with a player who
has been bashing the Australians in their own back yard in 2009. What all this denotes is a complete lack of confidence expressed by the Proteas on the field, where they are supposed to be buzzing with excitement at the advent of a crunch game.
What is on view however, are sweaty palms and vague flashbacks of previous failures haunting, arguably, the finest side in world cricket in terms of talent. South Africa really has it all, yet the battle on the pitch for a country which has dealt with years
of apartheid has always been mental. It is about bringing up the best when it is required. Unless the mental deadlock is surpassed, the Proteas would continue to choke and disappoint as cricket is never played on paper. Bangladesh’s surge into the Asia Cup
Final recently can be a prime example of what can be achieved if one is mentally prepared. South Africa should draw inspiration from that streak, provided that they are ready to bow down, look and shake themselves.
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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