Chokers – an unfortunate, yet common title that has long been tied to the South African national cricket team, famously known as the Proteas. It mostly applies during world cups. This title became a household name to describe the Proteas due to their struggles of performing well when it matters the most on the world stage. However, when discussing top cricket teams around the world, the Proteas are always part of the conversation.
As the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup is preparing to take off, the ICC T20 rankings list has placed the Proteas at sixth place. Within the T20 rankings top 10, they have played the least number of matches, with only 37 games. The last international T20 match the Proteas played was against India on 14 December 2023. The Proteas lost the game as India took a whopping 106 runs to victory. Although South Africans have not indulged in an international T20 match that involved the Proteas for a while, that does not mean they starved completely.
The South African cricket community was entertained by the SA20, which ran from 11 January to 10 February. Different provinces and cities rooted for their own. As much as this meant a good time for all cricket lovers, it also meant that the Proteas were utilising the tournament to keep their head in the game. Both bowlers and batsmen were working hard on sharpening their skills. Even after the SA20 2024 came to an end, most Proteas players continued to be active on fans’ television screens.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season took off. Prominent Proteas players such as Kagiso Rabada, Lungisani Ngidi, David Miller have had the opportunity to be a part of various teams in the league. The IPL has also enabled them to keep themselves stimulated for the upcoming T20 World Cup. As much as the SA20 and IPL have kept the players in the T20 loop, it is worrying that they have never had an international T20 game for over five months. After all, it is arguable that a provisional or city stage is not the same as an international stage. However, their strength can be found in how both bowlers and batsmen have been working on their performances. Over the last few years, the team has been notorious for having a batting line-up that does not match up to the skills of the bowling line-up.
Although the Proteas have never won a single T20 World Cup title, their name has constantly been in conversations when it comes to champion title predictions. With the skill they have been developing and improving during their 2023/2024 T20 international matches, SA20 2024 and IPL 2024 performances, they can still count on their abilities to redeem themselves. The 2024 T20 World Cup commences on 2 June with a match between the United States and Canada. Cricket lovers across the world should expect yet another exciting ICC tournament.
