T20 World Cup 2024 | Markram’s South Africa can be proud of its stirring World Cup campaign
So near: South Africa defeated every opponent before falling short in the final.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
A warm March night ebbed away at Dhaka and South Africa had just lost the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal against New Zealand. Graeme Smith trudged into the post-match press-conference hall and an insensitive reporter said: “Earlier you were all called chokers, now they are saying jokers.”Smith, moist eyes and a tremulous voice, handled that question with grace and subsequently explained why the Proteas lost. But the word choke became this constant shadow and an easy cliche that trailed South Africa. But what transpired at Bridgetown on Saturday was never a choke as that would be a lazy inference. South Africa was done in by a superior Indian team even when a mere 30 were required ...
