South-Africa. (Photo by DERYCK FOSTER / AFP) (Photo by DERYCK FOSTER/AFP via Getty Images)

When it comes to ICC tournaments no other team is as unlucky as South Africa have been. The T20 World Cup 2024 presents the South African side to lay claim to that elusive silverware they have been craving for. With a plethora of stars who have done well in the T20 format the team this year has a great chance of doing well in the tournament.

Here is a look at South Africa’s journey through each of the T20 World Cups so far:

T20 World Cup 2007, South Africa 

The very first edition of the T20 World Cup was held in South Africa where the hosts topped the group by beating Bangladesh and West Indies. In the Super 8’s South Africa beat England and New Zealand before losing to India. Since South Africa did not have a great net run they crashed out of the tournament. The best moment for South Africa in that tournament was their chase of 206 to win in the very first game of the campaign which was a record chase then. Justin Kemp with 173 runs from 5 matches and Morne Morkel with 9 wickets were the best performers for the home team. 

T20 World Cup 2009, England 

South Africa came into the T20 World Cup 2009 held in England as one of the teams’ who were considered the dark horses. Graeme Smith and his side began by beating Scotland and New Zealand to top their group. The Proteas then topped their Super 8s by beating England, India, and West Indies to head to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, South Africa lost to eventual winners Pakistan to come close to a title win again. Jacques Kallis was the top-scorer for his team with 238 runs from 5 matches. Roelof Van Der Merwe was the best bowler with 10 wickets from 5 matches with an economy rate of 5.62 per over. 

T20 World Cup 2010, West Indies 

The third edition of the T20 World Cup was held in West Indies and this tournament saw the worst ever showing from South Africa. Placed in the same group as India and Afghanistan, the Proteas beat Afghanistan before losing to India. Their campaign in the Super 8s saw them crash out and placed last in the group with losses to then-defending champions Pakistan and eventual winners England. Jaques Kallis was the best batter yet again with 171 runs from 5 games while Charl Langeveldt was the best bowler with 11 wickets for South Africa. 

T20 World Cup 2012, Sri Lanka 

For the second time in succession, South Africa failed to perform well in the T20 World Cup 2012 held in Sri Lanka. It was a good start for the Proteas as they beat Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe to top their group. In the Group 8 Phase, South Africa finished last after losing all their matches, India, Pakistan, and Australia. JP Duminy was the best batter for South Africa’s 106 runs while Jacques Kallis was the best bowler with 7 wickets from 5 matches.

T20 World Cup 2014, Bangladesh 

The 2014 edition for South Africa was better than their last two appearances. The Proteas started the Super Ten phase with a loss to Sri Lanka. Wins against New Zealand, the Netherlands, and England followed this. Having finished second in the group, South Africa faced India in the Semi-Finals and lost by 6 wickets thanks to a brilliant 72 by Virat Kohli. JP Duminy was better yet again for South Africa scoring 187 runs from 5 matches. Imran Tahir’s 12 wickets were the best by any bowler during that edition of the T20 World Cup. 

T20 World Cup 2016, India

It was a return to misery for the South Africans as they couldn’t make it past the Super 10 stage when the tournament was held in India. Placed in the same group as West Indies, England, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan, the Proteas could only manage two wins out of the four matches. South Africa began with a loss to England, before beating Afghanistan. A loss to West Indies meant their campaign was as good as over which ended with a consolation win over Sri Lanka. Quinton De Kock with 153 runs from 4 games was the batter while Kyle Abbott was the best bowler with 7 scalps. 

T20 World Cup 2021, India/UAE

The 2021 tournament which was set to be hosted by India was moved to the UAE with a new format. The Super 12 stages saw South Africa miss out on qualification for the semi-finals after finishing third in the table. South Africa lost one game but that came at a cost as their net run-rate suffered which saw the Proteas a chance to make it to the semi-finals. Rassie Van Der Dussen’s 177 was the best for South Africa with the bat during the 2021 edition, while Dwaine Pretorius with 9 wickets was the best bowler.

T20 World Cup 2022, Australia

For a third campaign in a row, South Africa finished third in the table and missed out on qualification to the Semi-Finals. The Proteas began by beating Zimbabwe in a rain-affected game and followed it up with wins over Bangladesh and India. South Africa then lost to Pakistan, followed by a shock loss to the Netherlands to end South Africa’s 2022 tournament. Rilee Rossouw with 141 which also included a century was the best batter for South Africa. Anrich Nortje was the best wicket-taker with 11 wickets with a best of 4/10 and an economy rate of 5.37 runs per over.

South Africa squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup

Aiden Markram (Captain), Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Ryan Rickelton, Quinton De Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee. Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Bjorn Fortuin, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Reserve Players – Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi.