Did South Africa choke?

[flibbertyjibber]

Lots of C words can describe that game but choke isn't one of them.

The lost a cracker/corker. Played their part in a crazy game but just came up short after going toe to toe with another very good side. No disgrace in losing that match. Just a shame there had to be a loser really.

 

[Furball]

While you can't call it a choke I think de Villiers definitely let the pressure get to him a little bit. There were a couple of mistakes he made in the field (not least the botched run out) that you just wouldn't expect a fielder of de Villiers' calibre to make.

With his media pronouncements about how South Africa weren't going to choke, coupled with the knowledge that his team are a bit pish really, I think de Villiers took it upon himself to put really lead from the front, and I think he put a lot of pressure on himself. That definitely showed today IMO.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

The run out was bad, probably worse than the dropped catch in the outfield but the Saffers probably saved 20 runs with excellent ground fielding in the last 10 overs alone. Was an amazing mixture of going from the sublime to the ridiculous, helped make it such a great game.

 

[Redbacks]

Faf's over reaction to his catch showed just how much pressure they were putting on themselves.

Given NZ looked home with 5 overs to go. People would have called it a mini choke had they lost the game too.

 

[Dissector]

They missed three chances in 10 balls in the last three overs. They fielded brilliantly earlier in the game but when it came to the crunch their fielding failed. Choking doesn't mean you play lousy cricket right through the game. In fact I would say playing lots of great cricket and then failing badly at the end is pretty much the classic choke.

I agree that SA faces more scrutiny in this regard but that isn't unreasonable. Every team has choked a big game now and then but they balance that with big games where they win under pressure. SA is pretty remarkable in the way they always seem to fail when they are put under pressure in a global competition. Not just the World Cup but 5 TT world championships where they have failed to reach a final.

 

[cpr]

i reckon if it didn't rain SA would win

Can't say for sure, but I'm certain it took a fair amount of wind out of their sails. Lost faf quickly afterwards, and AB didn't get his eye back in - considering he'd started to really gun it in the last 10 balls he faced before the rain, there's a fair shout he'd have scored heavily. Something D/L doesn't factor is how much an impact certain players can make when they get in the zone as AB had just done.

I think those calling it a choke need to factor the rain in too, it stopped the momentum of the SA innings (OK Miller kept the speed of runs up, but if he'd have come in on over 46/50 rather than 39/43 he'd have done the same)

 

[YorksLanka]

i cant see how anyone can say that SA choked, they played as well as they could , NZ just played a little bit better !! I have to say I wish my team showed the passion that the Proteas showed and the disappointment to be going out of the competition..shows how much they really wanted it..really felt for them(even though I wanted the black caps to win)..

 

[Dan]

Yes. Bizarre all round, firstly that it wasn't really appealed for, second that it wasn't given, and third that it wasn't reviewed.

Was given as runs, ftr. Possible inside edge that the TV replays never checked for.

 

[sharu7]

This was the most obvious choke ever, don't know how some people are not calling it a choke.

 

[Contra]

The thing about Devillier's run out miss was that he had so much time to run him out, if he had slowed himself down in terms of calmly collecting the ball he should have done fine, Its not a criticism per say as the adrenaline and instincts just take over but it was a pretty bad miss.\

anyways this game was nowhere close to being called a choke.

 

[Dan]

Duminy running into Berhardien was a complete and utter brain fade, pure and simple. I can forgive not hearing the call of 'mine' in that Eden Park setting, but FMD know where your other fielders are. If JP genuinely didn't know Berhardien was there, then he wasn't paying nearly enough attention to the game. 9 times out of 10, Berhardien takes that easily with Duminy never getting within 15 metres of him.

The run out stuff is all pretty superfluous to the discussion IMO. If ABdV/QdK is a choker for failing to collect a poor throw and get it back onto the stumps quickly, then so are half the cricketers in the world. Everybody has done it, and it's a difficult skill to execute at the best of times, let alone in a Semi-Final context. Nothing major there. Same with QdK's underarms failing to hit the pegs. Most of them miss; it's nothing specific to RSA in World Cup semi finals.

The only way you can even remotely consider this a choke is because of Duminy running into Berhardien. Nothing else is relevant. New Zealand batted brilliantly and won that game, far more so than South Africa cracking under pressure and losing it.

 

[Dan]

The thing about Devillier's run out miss was that he had so much time to run him out, if he had slowed himself down in terms of calmly collecting the ball he should have done fine, Its not a criticism per say as the adrenaline and instincts just take over but it was a pretty bad miss.\

anyways this game was nowhere close to being called a choke.

If de Villiers choked that run out, then this was the ultimate choke.

 

[Contra]

If de Villiers choked that run out, then this was the ultimate choke.

Show me where I said De villiers choked that run out?

 

[Dan]

Show me where I said De villiers choked that run out?

Was referring to the hypothetical straw man that everyone saying "this isn't a choke" have constructed to pre-empt anyone saying "RSA choked because ABdV run out". Quoted your post because you were speaking about the run out specifically.

EDIT:
Plus it gave me a reason to post that video because, let's face it, Shane Watson getting hit in the knee by Clarke never gets old.

 

[Dan]

And this one. And Moises Henriques in the BBL final.

To construct the same straw man and pre-empt anyone saying the run out was a choke, my answer is nah, everyone does it.

 

[Contra]

Was referring to the hypothetical straw man that everyone saying "this isn't a choke" have constructed to pre-empt anyone saying "RSA choked because ABdV run out". Quoted your post because you were speaking about the run out specifically.

EDIT:
Plus it gave me a reason to post that video because, let's face it, Shane Watson getting hit in the knee by Clarke never gets old.

Yeah but at no point did I claim that I considering AB's run out miss choking, or that I agree with people who do, I was just making a comment based on my observation. Anyways yeah those vids are hilarious.

 

[91Jmay]

People condescendingly shouting down the mere suggestion is getting on my nerves. At least hear out other opinions ffs. No it was obviously not a choke but you should also be willing to see how others might look at it that way(fielding errors at important points in the game maybe if I were to play the devil's advocate). Correct them rudely before putting them down. Or you look like an idiot with his fingers in his ears and his nose upturned.

It's literally impossible to shout down an opinion when no one here is capable of doing anything other than typing.

 

[jcas0167]

Sian Beilock, a University of Chicago psychologist and author of Choke, has dedicated her career to studying epic screw-ups. “Choking isn’t just poor performance. It is worse performance than you are capable of precisely because there is a lot on the line.”

I think it's simplistic and misleading to say one side "choked". By the definition above you could point to numerous chokes through the game by both sides. NZ's dropped catches, the Taylor/Guptill run out, arguably the dismissals of McCullum & Anderson after a few dot balls built up pressure etc.

 

[R_D]

Calling this a choke would be being too harsh on the players and being disrespectful.
They gave it their all. Two evenly matched teams and a great contest and there has to be one winner.
Can't fault South African players commitment in the match, they were brilliant in the field.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

If de Villiers choked that run out, then this was the ultimate choke.

I like to believe that this was deliberate.