Perennial chokers exorcise their demons

Can the perennial chokers defeat the ultimate champions? This was the question floating around before the World Test Championship (WTC) final between South Africa and Australia.

Australia hardly lose finals, and South Africa don't win; that was both team's reputation heading into the crunch match at Lord's.

Interestingly, both sides earned their polar opposite reputations from the same match, a 50-over bout that ended up becoming the canon even for both cricketing nations as it defined their identities for the years that followed.

The match in question was the 1999 ICC World Cup semifinal in England.

Set a 213-run target, South Africa levelled the scores with three balls to go, but a tragic mix-up between Lance Klusener and Allan Donald resulted in a run-out and Australia went through as they had finished higher in the Super Six stage.

In isolation, this could have been just another high-stakes match where the side that held their nerves better got the job done. But for South Africa, this was a continuation of them finding new ways of faltering on the biggest stage.

Seven years ago, they fell victim to the rain law in the semifinal against England and missed out on the final berth. In the 1999 edition, they had lost to Australia in the Super Six after Herschelle Gibbs dropped captain Steve Waugh, who went on to hit a match-winning hundred. Had Gibbs taken that catch, South Africa could have won, and Australia would not even qualify for the semifinal.

Questions over South Africa's mental fortitude to win the big matches were being asked beforehand, and the elimination against Australia answered that query.

There were no more doubts, South Africa were the undisputed chokers of cricket -- a moniker that has stuck around ever since.

In the six ODI World Cups since then, they have played three semifinals and one quarterfinal, but the matches have always ended in heartbreak, with two of those defeats in semifinals coming against Australia in 2007 and 2023.

They came agonisingly close to ending their title drought in last year's T20 World Cup, but lost their way in a nervy chase against India in the final.

While generations of South African cricketers had to carry the weight of that choker tag, the Australians had a very different experience.

After knocking out South Africa, Australia made easy work of Pakistan in the final, winning the first of their hattrick World Cup titles in 1999. They also went on to win 16 consecutive Tests -- most by any team -- twice and also picked up a couple of Champions Trophy titles and a T20 World Cup trophy along the way, establishing themselves as cricket's ultimate winners.

Fast-forward to June 2025, both sides were set to face off in another big match, the format was different, but the implications were the same.

For most teams, facing Australia in the final is a daunting proposition, but for the Proteas, it was like coming face to face with their worst nightmare.

It was a frightening challenge, no doubt, but from another point of view, it was also South Africa's best shot at true redemption as the only way to exorcise one's demons is to face them head on.

For South Africa to shed the chokers tag for good, they had to defeat the Aussies in a final in an ICC event.

Temba Bavuma's side did exactly that.

And they did not just scrape by and win a close match, what was telling was how they achieved that victory. There were no shenanigans involved, no murky umpiring decision that changed the momentum, and there were no questions that South Africa were the superior side.

South Africa fought hard to overcome a 74-run deficit and showed tremendous composure to chase 282 runs in the fourth innings against the most decorated bowling attack in world cricket.

On Saturday, once again, South African players and fans were in tears after an ICC knockout fixture against Australia, but this time those were tears of joy.

Thanks to Bavuma and Co., a new generation of South African cricketers will now grow up with the belief that they can win the big one, they have what it takes to beat the best on the biggest stage, that they are not born to be chokers but destined to be champions.