ICC World Cup: Decoding stats and records of South Africa
The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will be underway on October 5 in India, with defending champions England taking on New Zealand in the opener. South Africa will play their first match two days later against Sri Lanka in Delhi The Proteas will aim to get rid of their 'chokers' tag this time. They are yet to reach a World Cup final.
SA have been semi-finalists four times
South Africa have a history of choking in the semi-finals of the World Cup. They have finished as semi-finalists as many as four times (1992, 1999, 2007, and 2015). Notably, South Africa was re-admitted to international cricket in 1991. Australia defeated them in the 1999 and 2007 World Cup semi-finals, while South Africa lost to England in 1992 and New Zealand in 2015.
SA's record in the tournament (matches)
South Africa have featured in a total of 64 World Cup matches as of now. They have won 38 and lost 23 matches, while two of them ended in a tie. One of them got abandoned.
Heartbreak for SA in 1999
SA were favorites to reach the 1999 WC final. However, they couldn't chase 214 against Australia (semi-final). Although both sides were bowled out for 213, Australia prevailed as they finished higher in the Super Six stage. SA required nine off the final over (one wicket in hand). Lance Klusener then whacked two consecutive fours. However, he was run-out, trying to steal a single.
Three other painful defeats
SA reached the WC semi-final in their maiden attempt (1992). However, England beat them by 19 runs (revised target). In the 2007 WC semi-final, Australia thrashed SA as they chased 150 in 31.3 overs. While SA suffered one-sided defeats in these two matches, their 2015 semis loss to New Zealand broke many hearts. NZ chased down 282, winning on the penultimate ball.
A look at their notable batting records
AB de Villiers is South Africa's only batter with over 1,200 runs in the World Cup. He averages an incredible 63.52. Notably, no other current Proteas batter has more than 500 runs in this regard. SA's highest total in the World Cup came in 2015 (411/4 vs Ireland). Their lowest total in the tournament came in the 2007 WC semi-final (149 vs Australia).
Two 400+ totals in WC
It is worth noting that SA are the only side to have registered two 400+ totals in the tournament. Both came days apart in the 2015 World Cup (411/4 vs Ireland and 408/5 vs West Indies).
A look at their notable bowling records
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir holds the record for taking the most World Cup wickets for South Africa. He has 40 wickets from 22 matches at an incredible average of 21.17 in the tournament. Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock are the only other Proteas bowlers with over 30 wickets in this regard. Notably, none of the current SA bowlers have more than 11 WC wickets.
