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- Rain threatens to derail the Proteas campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup after their Zimbabwe washout and a dodgy forecast for Thursday against Bangladesh.
- While the senior national team has had its fair share of poor luck in showpieces, the 2000 Under-19 vintage experienced arguably the most freakish campaign.
- They were left playing for the lowly Plate Trophy after all three of their group games were rained-off
Following an agonising no-result against Zimbabwe in their opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup on Monday, the Proteas travel to Melbourne staring a forecast for a 80% chance of showers and a thunderstorm squarely in the face ahead of their meeting with Bangladesh on Thursday.
Another abandonment would severely compromise South Africa’s ability to reach the knockouts unless some of their opponents suffer similar fates or experience wild swings in form.
While a lot has been, understandably, said and written about the Proteas’ complicated history with rain in showpiece tournaments before, the most extreme example is arguably Anton Ferreira’s national Under-19 team of 2000.
Jetting to Sri Lanka, the squad arrived on the Island with high hopes given that they boasted men like skipper Thami Tsolekile, Graeme Smith, Jacques Rudolph, Johan Botha, Albie Morkel and Andrew Puttick, all men who would go on to play international cricket.
When they came back, the Baby Proteas won the lowly Plate Trophy though it was hardly because they played poorly – it was purely because they couldn’t.
READ | Proteas, World Cups and rain: An unending sorry story that could scupper another campaign
All three of their first-round fixtures were freakishly rained off, by default demoting them to the Plate, where they finished unbeaten.
It started at the Air Force Ground in Katunayake, situated just outside the capital Colombo, where South Africa were meeting Nepal.
Rudolph ended with an unbeaten 156 – still the highest individual score for the Under-19s – in a total of 295 before the bowlers and some fine fielding reduced their opponents to 24/4.
The rain came and that was that.
However, it shouldn’t have been because, after it stopped at around 15:50 the covers were never removed until after the 17:15 cut-off time, much to the ire of team management.
All South Africa needed was for a further 13 overs to have been bowled for a result.
Four days later, Tsolekile and his teammates’ interest in claiming the main title was down the drain as their matches against Kenya and Pakistan were abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Ironically, Nepal – on the rack in their opener against the Proteas – progressed because they had managed to beat Kenya.
Reduced to playing against relative lightweights, the South Africans cruised.
Morkel destroyed the Americas with 5/27, while the towering Dewald Senekal – who would go on to play lock for the Cheetahs, Lions and Toulon and is now Connacht’s forwards coach in the URC – claimed 5/28 in demolishing Ireland for 78.
The batting also fired, Smith providing a taste of things to come with four 50s and 348 runs at an average of 87, while Rudolph made 251 at 84.
Senekal ended the leading wicket-taker with 13 at a stupendous 9.84.
It all mattered little at that stage.
South Africa weren’t the only ones to cry foul, with various other matches also affected by the weather too and several complaints of covers being ragged and inadequate, a situation exacerbated by ground staff who lacked even basic training.
No reserve days were available either.
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