WC semi-final: Proteas and Aussies have task cut out

Lance Klusener on his haunches at Edgbaston and a completely shattered AB de Villiers in Auckland are some of the most poignant pictures of South Africa’s World Cup semi-final heartbreaks but come Thursday, Temba Bavuma’s warriors would be determined to shed their eternal chokers tag against five-time champions Australia.

Any South African cricketer worth his salt hates the ‘C’ word while Australia as legacy champions of the ODI global meet would like to rub it in, in the best possible manner they can. When it comes to the 50-over World Cup, Australia evoke a sense of fear and anxiety among their rivals, having won five of the 12 titles so far -- of which four have come in the last six editions -- as they are known for thriving in big moments. It’s been the opposite story for South Africa who have reached the semi-finals four times from nine editions, but it’s always been a tale of being so-near-yet-so-far.

Be it the rain-rule mis-calculation on their debut World Cup in 1992 semifinal against England, or the tied result in 1999 that helped Australia made the final on better run-rate, the Proteas for one reason or another have never able to progress beyond the last-four stage.

In 2015, Grant Elliott played the only significant innings of his international career at Eden Park. “As a South African team, we know we’re going to have that chip on our back, or that narrative that we have to get over,” South Africa skipper Bavuma said, often being asked of the narrative.

But such has been the fury shown by South Africa this time in the course of making the semi-final that the Proteas look set to overcome it.

“That’s always going to be there until we win a trophy... But yeah, I haven’t heard that word come up as of yet in the training,” he adds, throwing a word of caution.

Barring their batting collapse against India at the same venue here where they folded for 83 in the group phase and the capitulation against the Netherlands, South Africa have looked ominous in the batting department.

Four of their top-six batters have scored centuries with wicketkeeper-batter Quinton De Kock leading the way in the opening slot with four to his name in his swansong tournament.

He is the tournament’s leading run-getter with 591 runs. It only starts to get more destructive as the batting order goes down.