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| | |  April 20 - If you're
a fan of the great sport of cricket and a cynic to boot when it comes to national fortunes at the
2007 Cricket World Cup then the title question probably has a rhetorical air to it because
you already know that the answer is no.
South Africa's miserable luck and a sequence of results in this tournament since
their readmission in 1992 that can justifiably be termed as tragic has been
mirrored by Australia's charmed cricketing existence...
Over the past 15 years it is clear that Australia and South Africa have been the
two best teams in world cricket, particularly the one day format. In 1992
the South Africans went to Australia with a powerhouse team that featured the
world's best fielder (Jaunty Rhodes), best fast bowler (Alan Donald), and best
wicketkeeper-batsman (Dave Richardson).
The squad was loaded with all rounders and great cricketing brains like Kepler
Wessels, Peter Kirsten, and Omar Henry. You might recall the first tragic loss:
when the rain came before the Duckworth/Lewis system was invented and the side
batting second (South Africa, naturally) received the very short end of the
stick.
They were eliminated with victory in sight by England(!) of all teams.
Australian cricket has never suffered bad luck like that, and that was only the
beginning.
From that first horrible experience at the Cricket World Cup it has been all
downhill for supporters of the Proteas. The tied match with Australia after an
incredible performance by Lance Kleusner was undone thanks to a mix up between
the batsmen (Kleusner and Donald) off the final ball of the match.
Speaking of ties that are actually devastating losses, who can forget the tied
match with Sri Lanka on home soil? That one also led to elimination. This time
the batsmen were given the wrong winning target - off by a single run - and so
Boucher blocked the last ball of the game and walked off the field, oblivious to
the sickening reality.
The short version: South Africa has never won the Cricket World Cup despite
their brilliant one-day teams. Australia, better suited to test cricket where
they win everything as well, have managed to overcome their lack of true all-rounders
to win the world cup three times out of the last four events.
It all comes down to a mammoth psychological advantage that the Aussies hold
over the South African team. It doesn't matter that the Proteas have an absolute
glut of world-class all-rounders, the holy grail of this format.
Kallis, Kemp, Hall, Pollock, Boucher, Peterson (ok we just snuck him in to see
if you're paying attention), and De Villiers all qualify, and yet there hasn't
been so much as a sniff of a world championship title.
It could all change when South Africa faces Australia in the semi-final in
St Lucia next Wednesday, but we wouldn't bet on it. It isn't a de facto final but
it's pretty close as whoever wins would be a substantial betting favorite to
beat either Sri Lanka or New Zealand.
Why do we get that strange sinking feeling that something very unlucky could
happen, leaving the way open for the golden boys of world cricket to win yet
again?
Put a bet on the cricket today at fine online sports book
Bodog.com.
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