Not for nothing South Africans are 'chokers' !

'Lady Luck' has deserted the South African team since their return to international cricket from apartheid but they will need more than luck to shrug off the 'chokers' tag when they take on England in the do-or-die match tomorrow.

Rewind to World Cup 1992. The Proteas needed 22 from 13 balls to win the semi-finals clash against England in Sydney when rain stopped play. A flawed rain-rule led to a revised target of 22 from one ball and South Africa were 'unluckily' eliminated.

In World Cup 1996, they unexpectedly lost the quarter finals to West Indies when they lost three key wickets to occasional spinner Jimmy Adams.

Fortune did not shine on them again in 1999 World Cup in England, with last-wicket pair Lance Klusener and Allan Donald failing to knock off a single, resulting in a historic semi-final tie against Australia.

Donald dropped his bat and was run out. The match was tied and Australia made the final on net run-rate.

At the 2003 World Cup, South Africa had everything going for them as they were playing in their home but they again failed to progress beyond the group stage due to a misunderstanding of how many runs they needed to score in a rain-affected run-chase agaisnt Sri Lanka.

When weather God intervened and halted play, Shaun Pollock's team thought they had done enough when they reached the relevant Duckworth-Lewis score, but the 'by-now chokers' failed to grasp that this was a tie -- a par score, not a winning one.

Batting first, Sri Lanka had mustered 268 for nine in their 50 overs. In return South Africa seemed to be cruising at 229 for six in 45 overs when rain played spoilsport. They needed 230 to win the match.

But it was not to be as the rain didn't stop and South Africa's hopes were washed away yet again.

Graeme Smith's men would surely be keeping their fingers crossed when they meet England in the virtual quarter-final clash tomorrow.

UNI MT SAM VV1950

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