World Cup 2019: Falling short the South African way

South Africa have been eliminated from the World Cup after an abysmal performance in their recent encounter against the unpredictable Pakistan. Their hopes of progressing to the semis were dashed as they could not chase a rather achievable total of 308.

The Proteas batsmen lost the plot as wickets kept falling at crucial intervals and the run-rate climbed out of grasp. South Africa have now lost 5 of their 7 matches so far, registering their only win against bottom-ranked Afghanistan with one match (against West Indies) being abandoned due to rain.

South Africa have always been a powerhouse in world cricket. The team appears rock solid on paper each time, perfectly capable of clinching titles. And yet they fail...again and again.

In 1992, South Africa made their first appearance at an ICC Cricket World Cup. Since then, they have been a part of every edition of the tournament, reaching the semi-finals on four occasions.

They've always had exceptional individual talents who have the ability to turn a game on its head. An AB de Villiers could make your jaws drop when he would go down on his knees, sweeping a deadly yorker into the second tier for a maximum. A Hashim Amla square drive is a purist's delight. When JP Duminy times one out of the screws over covers for a six with utter nonchalance, the cricketing fraternity gasps in awe.

Jonty Rhodes could take your breath away with his lightning-quick fielding. A snaring Kagiso Rabada bouncer bowled at over 150 clicks can terrorize the most fearless of batsmen. Imran Tahir's googly can break through the tightest defenses and leave the most sorted minds puzzled.

But as they say, cricket is a team game. Individual brilliance can win you a game or two, but it is the teamwork that provides consistent results in the longer run.

Runs on the board

South Africa's batting in the ongoing World Cup has been an absolute fiasco. Barring a few batsmen who made significant contributions to the team, the other players have failed to perform at pivotal junctures.

Faf du Plessis narrowed the batting problem down to the experienced batsmen, including himself, not being able to kick on and score big 100s. In six completed games so far, South Africa have seven scores between 50 and 70, with Quinton de Kock's 68 against Afghanistan the highest of the lot.

Aiden Markram has been in there for a while now and the team expects him to shoulder responsibility and get runs. He has been an utter disappointment in this tournament, doing no justice to the talent and quality he possesses.

Even the veteran Amla didn't have much to offer to the Proteas with just 117 runs to his name so far. The South African batting faltered when it came to dealing with pressure situations in crunch moments, often ending up on the losing side.

The ABD factor

De Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect on 23rd May, 2018. The former South African batsman was expected to feature in this year's World Cup in England - a tournament that was expected to be a fitting swansong to a remarkable career.

Which is why De Villiers' decision to call time on his career came as a surprise to the cricketing world and left the Proteas searching for an ideal replacement - with the game's premier 50-over tournament less than one year away. The absence of such a legendary batsman hurt South Africa and its chances leading into the World Cup.

The exuberance of youth could never have matched up to the legacy that was left behind by one of the the greatest ODI batsmen ever.

Injuries

As the event kicked off, South Africa were hit by a major injury blow as Dale Steyn was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a shoulder injury sustained during the Indian Premier League. Lungi Ngidi was also ruled out for up to 10 days after suffering a hamstring strain in the defeat against Bangladesh.

With Steyn and Ngidi sidelined, an even greater share of the burden fell on the already overworked Rabada, the natural heir to the veteran's throne. He was supposed to lead their attack, but the esteemed quick looked a pale shadow of the bowling marvel he has become in the last few years.

He barely made his presence felt, let alone making a proper impression on this World Cup. With as few as 6 wickets in his kitty, Rabada has failed to take charge as the potential leader of the African bowling unit. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Rabada has been one of the biggest disappointments for South Africa in the World Cup 2019.

"We are a mediocre team at the moment because we are making the same mistakes. One step forward and two steps back is not a good team," Du Plessis said. "There are people rightly and fairly criticizing the team because we are not playing the cricket we should," he further added.

With their World Cup hopes done and dusted, South Africa will play for pride in the remaining two games of their campaign - against Sri Lanka and Australia. Their hunt for an elusive first title goes on.

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