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South Africa Players Who Deserved A World Cup Win
South Africa made their World Cup debut in 1992. It was evident that world cricket missed the services of a gifted cricketing nation. They were the most athletic side in the competition. South Africa made it to the semifinals in the very first edition. They had to bow out owing to a bizarre rain rule that saw them chasing 22 runs off 1 ball from 13 balls earlier. South Africa lost to West Indies in the 1996 World Cup quarters thanks to a Brian Lara special. They were the team to beat in 1999 but again lost on a finals spot. Let us look at details on South Africa Players Who Deserved A World Cup Win.
The 2003 Present:
South Africa was the home team in the 2003 World Cup but couldn’t get past the first round. They once again lost to Australia in the semifinals of the 2007 World Cup. South Africa suffered a shock exit in the quarters in 2011. They went down to New Zealand in a heartbreak of a semifinal in 2015. South Africa suffered one of their worst ever campaigns in 2019. All through these years, many of their celebrated players lost out on a World Cup medal.
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We look at a few such deserving South African players:
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#3 Jacques Kallis
The South African allrounder is regarded as the greatest player to have ever played the game. Jacques Kallis made his World Cup debut in 1996. He played four more editions with Africa coming close in 1999 and 2007. But a World Cup medal eluded Kallis. A veteran of 166 Tests, he scored 13,289 runs at an average of 55.37. Kallis played 328 ODIs scoring 11,579 runs at an average of 44.36.
He was the player of the tournament of the first edition of the ICC Champions Trophy in 1998. It is the only ICC tournament that the Rainbow Nation has won so far. For someone with close to 25,000 runs and 565 international wickets, he surely deserved a World Cup crown.
#2 AB de Villiers
One of the modern-day greats, AB de Villiers had a stellar record in the World Cups. For a player of his calibre, he represented the team in just three editions from 2007-15. ABD immediately made a mark in the 2007 edition. He scored a top hundred against the West Indies. ABD had a rather subdued 2011 World Cup compared to his own standards. But it was in the 2015 World Cup that he displayed his complete range. He scored the fastest 150 in the World Cup finishing at 162 off just 66 balls.
South Africa came mighty close under his captaincy in 2015 to lift the cup. But few basic errors and a curtailed game once again cost them a spot in the finals. Fans expected him to play his last edition in 2019 but shockingly he announced his retirement a year earlier in 2018. It was another chequered career that finished without a World Cup trophy.
#1 Lance Klusener
He singlehandedly powered South Africa into the semifinals of the 1999 World Cup. Lance Klusener was one of the most exciting cricketers of his generation. He had the ability to change the game with both bat and ball. The 1999 World Cup was rightfully called the Klusener’s World Cup. He won games for South Africa from absolutely nowhere. Klusener won 4 POTM awards in 5 games. His power-hitting rescued the Proteas in games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
He took on both pace and spin with an attacking mindset. Klusener almost took them over the line in the semis with just 1 run needed off 3 balls. But a tragic runout threw them out of the World Cup. It has been 24 years since but the ouster continues to haunt the fans.
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