Most would agree that the 1992 loss was most heartbreaking and unfair that 1999 was a mistake that cost too much but what about 2003? Is there any logical explanation? None that comes easily, really! South Africa was playing at home and much was expected of them. And considering this was a match that may never have happened made it a bigger bummer! Sri Lanka had disputed the methodology of separating teams tied on points but when faced with a fine and potential disqualification, they complied. And they played well too.
Batting first, they dug a small hole for themselves and were 90 for 3 when the ageing Aravinda de Silva walked in. He combined fantastically with Marvan Atapattu and added 152 runs in just 22 overs! Atapattu scored 124 (129b) while de Silva contributed 73 off just 78 balls. 268 was a good total to defend when a place in the Super Six was at stake. Jacques Kallis was the unlikely bowling hero picking up 3/41 in 10 overs.
The target was reworked according to the Duckworth-Lewis system and SA needed to score 230 in 45 overs. Not impossible considering Boucher and Pollock were still at the crease. Pollock and Boucher put on a valuable 63 before Pollock fell. Klusener, who was on his decline by then, managed only 1 off 8 balls but Boucher was not giving up. A six off de Silva in the penultimate over gave South Africa hope and the information from the dressing room told them exactly how much they needed to win. It said 229 to tie the match.
Boucher had brought SA to 229 for 6 and there was one more ball left. A ball that he simply patted to the leg side and was content to stand his ground thinking SA had won. But they had only tied. And the final outcome was that they were knocked out once again, in a bizarre manner. Much media and internal analysis followed and Pollock lost his captaincy but yet again, SA had outdone themselves! Will they ever go all the way? Not if they keep reading straightforward information wrong!
