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| April 24, 2007 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 06, 1428 |
‘We won’t be haunted by demons of 1999’
JOHANNESBURG, April 23: Veterans of South Africa's 1999 World Cup insist they will not be haunted by the nightmare of their exit at the hands of Australia when they square up once again at the semi-final stage on Wednesday.
The Proteas have been trying to shake off the tag of chokers ever since the infamous last ball run-out of Allan Donald at Edgbaston eight years ago when a single would have secured victory and a place in the Lord's final.
Four of that team will once again take to the field against Australia on Wednesday in St Lucia, including batsman Herschelle Gibbs, who was taunted by Steve Waugh that he had dropped the World Cup after he spilled a catch in an earlier group game between the two.
“It did leave one or two little scars but as a cricketer if you're going to have a long career, you're going to have scars, every cricketer has had them,” said wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.
“It's how you get up from those moments when you're down and bounce back,” he told The Star newspaper.
The Edgbaston semi-final is widely regarded as the greatest ever World Cup game but many commentators believe the trauma dogged the Proteas for years, and was partly responsible for their lame first-round exit when they hosted the tournament in 2003.Shaun Pollock, the team's captain in 2003 and who continues to open the bowling, said that lessons had been learned.
“The '99 World Cup was an exceptional game, the emotions swung from team to team,” he said.—AFP
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