From heartbreak to history: How South Africa finally shed the chokers tag

For decades since their return to the international fold, South African cricket has been dotted by the near misses that have brought them the chokers tag. However, the Proteas finally broke the jinx in 2025.

South Africans caught the world by storm when Allan Donald struck deadly blows on the famed Indian batting in their first One-Day International at Kolkata in 1991, after a ban due to apartheid ended. Dubbed White Lightning, the pacer reduced the hosts to 20 for three. 

Sachin Tendulkar and Pravin Amre then guided India to a three-wicket win. The team became a force to be reckoned with in international cricket and made it to the semi-finals of the 1992 World Cup. But the misfortune began then, when they needed 22 off 13 balls, when the rain interrupted the match. The delay reduced the match by 12 balls, but the target remained unchanged.

Needing 22 off 1 ball, South Africa’s dreams were shattered, and even though the Proteas managed to win the Commonwealth Gold in 1998, a major ICC Trophy kept eluding them despite coming close on several occasions.

In nine ODI World Cup appearances since 1992, South Africa have reached five semi-finals. The 2023 edition saw them lose to hosts India, extending their wait. These failed attempts only made the unjustified term chokers grow louder.

Finally, the semi-final jinx ended after making the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup final, raising the expectations sky-high of breaking their ICC duck. But they failed to pip India, and the wait continued.
When the whole world was expecting them to dazzle in white-ball cricket, the Proteas roared to the World Test Championship title. A format where success arrived quietly rather than spectacularly.

Engineering their success is the diminutive skipper, Temba Bavuma. The skipper led Proteas to a thrilling win over Australia in the final, and the star performer in the title clash is Aiden Markram, who scored 136 to chase a stiff target and win by five wickets. Those were priceless
runs, and most importantly, they shut out the voice of the doubters.

“We prepared hard and came in with a lot of belief and lot of doubters. Glad we played well. Special moment for us and people back home,” the 35-year-old skipper said after creating history at the home of cricket, where South Africa enjoyed a strong support against
England’s traditional rivals Australia.  

“As a team. We have been wanting this. We've been relentless, getting to the doorstep consistently, but experienced heartache. Hopefully, this win is one of many. We got ourselves into the final; there were doubters on the route we took. This win squashes that.” A win that made it even sweeter.

The first black African batter picked in South Africa's Test squad continued to gain strength, and his confidence as a captain and as a batter grew with every single match, especially after the brave innings in the WTC final. That enabled him to dream of something that not many have achieved in India – winning a Test series.

The venue was once again the Eden Gardens, where South Africa first played their ODI on their return, which took the Proteas to a narrow win in the first of the two-Test series this year. The skipper tilted the scales in his team’s favour with a battling unbeaten 55 in a low-scoring match.

Subsequently, the visitors won the Guwahati Test to end a 25-year wait for a series win in India. The victory proves that the World Test Championship crown is not by luck, but is achieved with plenty of determination and hard work. The South Africans rely less on superstars, and the huge pool of fearless, aggressive, talented batters makes a perfect mix for the strong pace-led bowling.

If there is one area where the South Africans have fallen in the past, it is handling pressure situations. From a seemingly winning position, South Africa lost the Twenty20 World Cup final against India at Barbados in 2024, and also suffered a similar fate against the Indian women in the ODI World Cup final.

The Proteas will get another chance to make amends next year during the Twenty20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where South Africa will start as strong contenders for the title. The man who has brought the belief and rewritten South African cricket history is the brave leader, Temba Bavuma.