Eden Gardens is silenced by the old Proteas sadness as the Ghost of ’99 returns to haunt South Africa

A famous scene from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) features Dr. Strange, the master of the mystic arts, skillfully imprisoning the cosmic monster Dormammu in an endless loop of time. He says that unless Dormammu accedes to Strange’s demands, they will both be eternally stuck in this instant.

One would assume that Dormammu had an easier time negotiating after the cricket world saw the most recent episode of South Africa’s World Cup sorrow on Thursday.

On Thursday, South Africa was caught in yet another all too familiar cycle when they lost to Australia in Kolkata in the World Cup semi-final. The Proteas have yet to secure a spot in the World Cup final, making this their sixth loss at this point in the competition’s history.

After choosing to bat, Temba Bavuma’s team, which had dominated the league stage as the second-best performance, gave up and was bowled out for 212 when it counted most. The skipper, who was having trouble with his own batting form, made the bold (or misguided) decision to play even though he wasn’t 100% fit. However, he didn’t encourage anybody as his duck was dismissed to start a batting collapse. The lowest Powerplay score in this season, 18/2 in 10 overs, showed how difficult it is for South Africa to get over nervousness on important occasions.

Allan Donald was left stranded in an iconic run out during the wild last over of South Africa’s 1999 collapse at Edgbaston in England. It started Australia’s dominance in cricket by enabling them to get to the final and ultimately win the championship. at 2007, the Proteas were granted a second chance at redemption against Australia, this time at the tranquil island of St. Lucia. After choosing to bat first, their hopes of ending the run quickly evaporated, as South Africa was reduced to 27-5; ultimately, they were defeated by seven wickets.

And it seemed that Thursday’s replay of the semifinals was the conclusion of the two. It wasn’t as one-sided as the match from 2007, and much like their seniors in 1999, the current team persevered and gave it their all in the never-ending quest for atonement. Yet for Bavuma and his troops, it was not to be.

Under the foreboding dark skies of the legendary Eden Gardens, the Proteas had to contend with the powerful swing and seam bowling combination of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. After Bavuma and Quinton de Kock left early, the team’s problems worsened when Aiden Markram (10) and Rassie van der Dussen (6) fell, dropping them to a dangerous 24-4.

With a gallant century to help the Proteas to a respectable but disappointing 212, David Miller battled valiantly to reverse the tide against the unrelenting Australian onslaught. The South African star’s innings successfully galvanized the Eden Gardens crowd to cheer for the Proteas. After all, in neutral contests, supporting the underdogs has always been customary.

South Africa was aware of their need for wickets. However, during Australia’s third over in reply, bowler Marco Jansen struck three wides in four deliveries, sending a shiver down the spine of the bleachers. David Warner was given a free hit by Kagiso Rabada’s no-ball, and he took advantage of it by hitting a second straight six. Travis Head was fortunate to escape being caught by Heinrich Klaasen and subfielder Reeza Hendricks inside 14 balls. The wicketkeeper De Kock compounded the wasted chances when he let go of Steve Smith’s edge off spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.

There were four lost receptions in all.

One can wonder whether South Africa’s cricket team still has the necessary cerebral component or if talent is the determining factor.

To get South Africa back into the game, the spin-twins, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj, performed well. The pair stopped the flow of runs and took key wickets on a surface that was spinning a lot, which made Australia’s late-innings comeback all the more frustrating. In a tight chase, the lower-order, spearheaded by Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins, secured the vital runs. It was another story of lost opportunities, leaving South Africa to wonder what could have been.

The Proteas may be encouraged by the fact that, in spite of a combination of bad luck and anxious times, the present team showed resiliency by valiantly holding a low total until they were unable to. “Obviously, losing in the semifinals is heartbreaking. But more than anything, (I’m) very happy of the guys’ fighting spirit,” South Africa’s coach Rob Walter told reporters after the match.

Although South Africa is sometimes linked with the phrase “choke,” Walter vehemently defended his soldiers, stating they displayed incredible fighting spirit. In this case, we were behind the eight ball from the start and had to battle to get back into the match. Thus, in my opinion, nothing that occurred today even somewhat resembled a choke.

Maybe there wasn’t a choking. However, their cricket team’s inability to execute on a grand scale raises concerns about their mental toughness; after all, their impressive group stage results have once again been eclipsed by the semi-final defeat.