From Klusener to Klaasen… South Africa could not get rid of the stigma of losing a winning game

Team India has won the T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa in the final match. India has won the title of the world champion of T20 cricket after 17 years. However, the victory was not easy for Team India and at one time it seemed that South Africa was going to write a new chapter in cricket history. However, the Proteas team could not get rid of the tag of chokers once again. The scenes of Klaasen to Klusener became fresh in the minds of South African fans, when the team lost the almost won match in the last over.

In this final match of T20 World Cup 2024, South African team needed 30 runs from the last 30 balls and had 6 wickets in hand. Heinrich Klaasen is batting aggressively. he/she thrashed Axar Patel who came to bowl the 15th over. The Proteas team scored 24 runs in that one over. After this huge over, it seemed that the South African team was just a few steps away from the throne of the world champion.

The danger of defeat was looming over Team India
There was complete silence in the Barbados ground filled with Indian fans. Everyone started fearing that their dream of winning the T20 World Cup once again would be shattered. However, this was the South African team, which is infamous for collapsing under the pressure of the last overs. This is why it is also given the title of chokers and once again this team choked in the World Cup final.

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In the 16th over of the match, 92% of the people were sure of the Proteas’ victory in the statistics shown on TV. However, then Hardik Pandya came to bowl the 17th over and dismissed Klaasen on the very first ball. This one wicket filled Team India as well as all the fans with a new enthusiasm and from here the South African team started collapsing under pressure. At one point, just a few runs away from the threshold of victory, the Proteas team lost the match by 7 runs.

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Bad record in World Cup
The South African team has always been considered strong, but this team has a bad record of losing in title matches like the World Cup. An example of this is that in the 18 ODIs and T20 World Cups played so far, the African team has reached the final for the first time. At the same time, it had to face defeat in the semi-finals 7 times, while 10 times it was eliminated even before that.

Klusener will never forget that run out
The Proteas team has been infamous for losing such close matches. Hardly any cricket fan would have forgotten the defeat in the semi-final match of the 1999 ODI World Cup. In this match against Australia, the South African team needed 9 runs in the last over to win and only its last wicket was left. Fast bowler Allan Donald was on the pitch along with deadly all-rounder Lance Klusener.

Klusener equalized the score by hitting 2 fours on the first 2 balls of the last over. The Proteas team needed just 1 run from 4 balls to win. South African fans were dancing in joy. However, then something happened which would be difficult for anyone to believe. On the fourth ball, Klusener tried to steal a quick run, but Donald could not support him/her and he/she got run out. In this way, all ten wickets of the South African team fell and the match which was already won was tied. With this, the Australian team made it to the final match and won the title by defeating Pakistan.

tag: Cricket News, ICC T20 World Cup, india vs south africa