FILE. New Zealand's Grant Elliott (L) celebrates hitting the winning runs as South Africa's Dale Steyn (R) looks dejected during the semi-final Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and South Africa played at Eden Park in Auckland on March 24, 2015. Picture: MICHAEL BRADLEY / AFP
Image: MICHAEL BRADLEY / AFP
As someone who experienced a number of heartbreaking defeats in Cricket World Cups, Dale Steyn is best placed to point out how this current Proteas side will not allow past failures to haunt them.
This is ahead of the T20 World Cup semi-final against old foes New Zealand at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. The match starts at 3.30pm SA time.
Steyn was on the receiving end of brutal defeats in the 2011 and 2015 Cricket World Cups.
In 2015 in particular, Steyn was entrusted with the final over when New Zealand needed 12 runs to win. The match ended in tears as Grant Elliot smashed Steyn for six of the penultimate delivery to win it for the hosts in Auckland.
That seems like ancient history now, as this Proteas team did not come into this T20 World Cup tournament as favourites, but have earned that moniker through their dominant performances.
“I’m going to come out confidently, they are the best team in the competition,” Steyn told SportsBoom.co.za.
“It’s not bias. It just is what it is.”
Of course, there is a word that is often unjustifiably associated with the Proteas and that is “chokers”.
Pointing to South Africa’s victory in the World Test Championship final last year, Steyn said: “You’ve got a bunch of winners in that changing room. Winning trophies tells you that you’re not choking.”
The Proteas remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament, and that includes big wins over New Zealand, the West Indies, and India. Keep that up for two more matches, and history will be made.