No more South Africa, no more

[zubinpepsi]

No more South Africa, no more Neil Manthorp September 21, 2007 The people at Cricinfo asked one of their South African correspondents - me - to describe "the feeling in the country" following South Africa's shock exit from the World Twenty20 in Durban on Thursday night. It is a question I have been asked before. I remember first being asked in 1992 after a World Cup semi-final. And half a dozen times again in the years since. My passport is at the Pakistan embassy in Pretoria. The whole South African team's passports are there, too, awaiting visas. None of us have domestic flights confirmed and the team leave for Karachi on Tuesday. I don't even have accommodation confirmed. So I was distracted, to say the least, and it was hard to judge "the mood" in the country. On Friday morning, in my office, it was sombre. For the last six or so years, a clever young man has worked three days a week in my office. He is an entrepreneur, a one-man courier and office services company who does banking and other business-related errands. He is one of the most passionate South African cricket fans I know and he happened to walk in as the Cricinfo request landed. So I asked him. Warren Boyce, 27, shook his head and looked like thunder. I asked him if he'd care to write something about how he felt. "I haven't written anything since I left school," he scowled. "Go on, give it a go," I urged. Eventually, bribed with a cup of strong coffee, he did write something - long hand. And this is what he said - unedited and unabridged: "What should have been an easy run into the semi-finals turned out to be my last game as a South African Cricket fan. "I always felt that we had a tendency to choke in the big games, but such was my loyalty that I would give them the benefit. "Not this time, it was the final nail in the South African cricket coffin. "It was a game that we didn't even have to win, just not lose too badly, but somehow we couldn't even lose properly. It was the same mistakes, by the same players and I can watch it no more. "I have long been an enthusiastic South African supporter, ever since I could remember. "When we would lose, I would mourn for a few days, but my faith would be restored by the next few good performances - but not this time. "My days on the couch are over, my nerves are shot, and not even my memories of the good old days can pull me through this one. "I've invested so much time and energy into supporting this team and so far my returns are zero. "Even a die hard supporter like me has to learn when to cut his losses and move on. "So long South African Cricket." Maybe Warren's faith will return. But I must say, Thursday night's offering was among the bitterest of the many bitter pills South African supporters have had to swallow in the last decade and a half ----- feel very sorry for the SAFs.. when i read tht dude's lines, i realized im no different...:beer-bottle:

[Predator_05]

I do feel sorry for them. They are such a professional outfit. SA have always been the undisputed #2 - capable of destroying each and every team but Australia. In ODI's, they were easily the best team of the 1990's - winning over 60% of their matches, but inspite of their magnificent record they couldn't win the World Cup. What a shame. The team just can't do it when the occasion demands it.

[yoda]

"It was a game that we didn't even have to win, just not lose too badly, but somehow we couldn't even lose properly. It was the same mistakes, by the same players and I can watch it no more.

Exactly. They really outdid themselves this time. Even we would have managed to lose by less than 30 runs if so required. I do feel sorry for the fans as opposed to the team.

[DesiChap]

"It was a game that we didn't even have to win, just not lose too badly, but somehow we couldn't even lose properly. It was the same mistakes, by the same players and I can watch it no more.

That about says it all