World Cup 2023: South Africa Preview – Protea look to break Semi-final curse
South Africa have always been considered a strong contender in the World Cup, but they have consistently fallen short of winning the tournament. Despite this, in the current World Cup, they are entering as underdogs, with low expectations for the Temba Bavuma-led team. They are not even among the top four teams predicted to make it to the semi-finals.
The Proteas narrowly secured their spot in the World Cup by defeating Netherlands. If they had lost that series, they would have had to play in the Qualifiers. Before the tournament, South Africa played against Australia and emerged victorious with a 3-2 scoreline.
In all three wins, they had a margin of victory of over 100 runs. This gives them some momentum heading into the World Cup. Now, they must believe in their abilities and overcome their reputation as ‘chokers’ to make a strong impact in the tournament.
Past performance
South Africa came incredibly close to winning the Cricket World Cup in 1999. Lance Klusner showcased exceptional skills with both bat and ball in hand during that tournament. If it weren’t for the tied game against Australia in the semi-finals, the team led by Hansie Cronje would have advanced to the final. Throughout the eight editions of the World Cup, they have reached the semi-finals four times: in 1992, 1999, 2007, and 2015.
Prominent stat
It is important to mention that South Africa are the only team to have achieved two scores of over 400 runs in the tournament. These impressive totals were achieved within a few days of each other during the 2015 World Cup, with South Africa scoring 411/4 against Ireland and 408/5 against West Indies.
South Africa ODI World Cup 2023 squad:
Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.
South Africa Complete Schedule for World Cup 2023:
| Date | Day | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| 7-Oct-2023 | Saturday | South Africa vs Sri Lanka | Delhi | 2:00 P.M |
| 12-Oct-2023 | Thursday | Australia vs South Africa | Lucknow | 2:00 P.M |
| 17-Oct-2023 | Tuesday | South Africa vs Netherlands | Dharamsala | 2:00 P.M |
| 21-Oct-2023 | Saturday | England vs South Africa | Mumbai | 2:00 P.M |
| 24-Oct-2023 | Tuesday | South Africa vs Bangladesh | Mumbai | 2:00 P.M |
| 27-Oct-2023 | Friday | Pakistan vs South Africa | Chennai | 2:00 P.M |
| 1-Nov-2023 | Wednesday | New Zealand vs South Africa | Pune | 2:00 P.M |
| 5-Nov-2023 | Sunday | India vs South Africa | Kolkata | 2:00 P.M |
| 10-Nov-2023 | Friday | South Africa vs Afghanistan | Ahmedabad | 2:00 P.M |
