After South Africa lost from a winning position against Pakistan in the
recent World Twenty20, the choking question inevitably came up during AB
de Villiers' press conference. De Villiers put on a brave smile and
said if South Africa made the semi-finals of the tournament there would
be no choking then. South Africa didn't, and de Villiers' assertion
wasn't tested. A team from South Africa, Lions, has made the semi-finals
of the Champions League Twenty20, and tomorrow won't be a bad time to
see whether de Villiers' confidence is backed up by Alviro Petersen and
his men. They have already suffered a mini-choke, against Yorkshire, on
their way to the knockouts, where they will be facing a side who have a
habit of dominating the league stage and messing up in semi-finals.
Delhi Daredevils have made the IPL knockouts three times in five
seasons; they are yet to play in an IPL final, leave alone winning the
title. On two of those three occasions, they have topped the table after
a long and gruelling league stage only to come up short on the big
night. It won't be only the South Africans playing under the shadow of
the 'c' word in Durban.
It is interesting to note that the Indian franchise has relied purely on
the quicks to make it this far while a left-arm spinner, Aaron
Phangiso, has been the key element around which the South African
franchise's attack has revolved. Daredevils' attack is lopsided for
Indian conditions, but here in South Africa, it has worked superbly.
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