Cricket fans across the world have accused the Proteas of yet another World Cup “choke” after their crushing T20 semi-final defeat to New Zealand national cricket team on Wednesday.
South Africa battled their way to 169/8 in their 20 overs, with Marco Jansen’s late fireworks giving the total some respectability. However, several pundits and analysts felt the Eden Gardens surface offered far more for batters, with 200-plus viewed as a competitive score on the night.
In reply, the Black Caps made light work of the chase, racing to victory by nine wickets with 43 balls to spare, the most dominant win margin of the tournament.
Their clinical performance left the Proteas shell-shocked and reignited long-standing questions about South Africa’s record in knockout matches.
Another choke for Proteas?
Frustrated fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their anger after yet another semi-final exit on the global stage.
@Petermalatji24 wrote: “Proteas have choked just as expected. Quinton de Kock should have stayed retired. What an embarrassment.”
@deepakbindudat1 posted: “Is the ‘C’ word back to haunt the Proteas? Gifted two massive lives by the best fielders in the world, yet SA is still losing wickets in clusters. Rachin is tearing through the middle order! Classic semi-final collapse starting again?”
@moai_tweets added: “If there was ever a perfect stage for a classic Proteas choke, a World Cup semifinal is exactly it. The legacy continues.”
@Xyresix_ wrote: “There’s no shot we play well all tournament to come to the semis and choke against New Zealand. Bro, what am I watching? WAKE UP!”
@MarciiiJacobson commented: “Another choke loading. I think the Proteas should actually refrain from taking part in any white-ball ICC tournaments in the future, because they’re basically always a certainty to never win the trophy.”
However, not everyone agreed with the narrative. @VinceJacX argued that the Proteas were outplayed rather than having choked.
“It’s important to remember — this cannot be called a choke. For it to be a choke, the Proteas need to be in the game, and they are already back in SA,” he tweeted.
Whether labelled a choke or simply a comprehensive defeat, the result will once again sting for South African supporters, as their wait for a major ICC white-ball trophy continues.
The Proteas choke tag will always be around them until they win a white-ball tournament.
Will the Proteas ever win a World Cup?
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