World Cup History - South Africa

1992 World Cup

South Africa made their debut in this World Cup, and immediately made an impact too in the newly implemented round robin format. They found a place in the semi-finals on the strength of five wins in the eight matches played. 

South Africa were knocked out in a match against England, where they were poised to win, with 23 runs required off 13 balls and four wickets in hand. As rain interrupted, under the revised conditions, they needed 22 off one ball, in a controversial game at Sydney Cricket Ground. 

1996 World Cup

The Proteas maintained their 100 percent win record to top the Group B table. In the knockout stage, they choked under pressure to the West Indies going down by 19 runs as Daryll Cullinan’s 69 was unable to clear the winning line at Karachi, in the quarter-finals.

1999 World Cup

The South Africans again started their quest to win the World Cup in style, emerging as Group A toppers, with four victories out of five matches. As a result of the point carried forward into the Super Sixes and three wins in six games played, they secured a semi-final berth against Australia.

However, in one of the most riveting matches in World Cup history, the match ended in a dramatic tie. In the final over South Africa needed nine runs to win. All-rounder Lance Klusener squeezed one impeccable yorker and other fuller length delivery for four through the cover boundary successively to take South Africa just one run way from the final at Lords.

However, tail-ender Allan Donald froze in the middle as fast bowler Damien Fleming guided the missed throw to wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist to run him out to force a tie at Edgbaston. Australia edged out South Africa to secure a place in the finals as they finished higher in the Super Sixes table.

South African all-rounder Klusener was adjudged man of the tournament, who rattled scored 281 runs with an average of 140.5 in eight innings with his explosive late-order batting and snared 17 wickets with the ball.

2003 World Cup

South Africa were hosts along with Zimbabwe and Kenya in the eighth edition of the tournament. However, they failed to progress in the Super Sixes as the match between the hosts and Sri Lanka at Kingsmead, Durban ended in a tie. South Africa were in a dominant position with 229 for six chasing 268, when the Duckworth/Lewis method was applied due to rain.

Cruelly, for South African supporters, had Mark Boucher taken a single off the last ball of the over, before the interruption and not tapped the ball straight to mid-wicket, South Africa would have emerged victorious in the match.
 
2007 World Cup

South Africa were placed in Group C and progressed to the Super Eights with just one loss in three games played. They eventually made an exit going down to Australia by seven wickets in the semi-finals after being shot out for 149 in St Lucia.   

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