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South Africa’s journey in the ODI World Cup has been a tale of near-misses and heartbreaks. Despite being a full member nation with a rich cricketing history, they have eluded the coveted trophy thus far. Their pursuit began in the 1992 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, but they couldn’t make a significant impact in that tournament.
One of the closest encounters they had with World Cup glory was in 1999. South Africa reached the semifinals, powered by the incredible all-round performances of Lance Klusner throughout the tournament. However, their dreams were shattered in a dramatic tie-fixture against Australia, which denied them a place in the finals. It was a heartbreaking moment for South African cricket fans.
In 2003, when the marquee event was hosted in their own country, expectations were high, but they fell short yet again. Despite the home advantage, they couldn’t clinch the trophy. The disappointment continued in 2007 when they reached the semifinals but couldn’t pass that obstacle again.
The 2015 World Cup saw South Africa once again falter in the semifinals, unable to make it to the final showdown. The most recent disappointment came in the 2019 World Cup, where South Africa struggled to find their rhythm. Under Faf du Plessis‘ leadership, they failed to qualify for the semifinals, managing to win only three out of their eight games.
Kagiso Rabada expresses his ambitious aim of securing ICC silverware for South Africa
Kagiso Rabada, now, in a recent interview with a local media outlet shared his ambitious goal of bringing ICC silverware to South Africa. This aspiration underscores his determination to see South Africa succeed on the global stage, particularly in marquee events like the ICC tournaments.
“Winning a World Cup is something that I would love to do. It’s something every player that’s in the set-up would love to do. The only thing going there, once the squad is announced, is to win it,” Rabada was quoted as saying by iol.com.za
Rabada’s commitment to this goal is reflected in his and the team’s decision not to pay undue attention to external chatter about South Africa’s past performances in ICC events, especially their inability to reach the final since their return to international cricket in 1992.
“All this drama outside about South African cricket and World Cups… we’re not paying attention to it really. Having been to World Cups and not winning silverware, it’s disappointing… I won’t lie. I’m willing to make it happen, we’re all willing to make it happen,” the 28-year-old concluded.
Now the proteas will host the Australia for the white-ball series. The tour will kick off with a three-match T20I series in Durban, scheduled to commence on August 30. Following the T20Is, the ODI series is set to begin on September 7 in Bloemfontein.
