South Africa break World Cup curse and show Australia what could have been

South Africa demolished Afghanistan to reach the T20 World Cup final, and a leading Australian seamer may have helped them overcome Afghanistan, writes BEN HORNE.

Mitchell Starc has been credited for inadvertently helping long-term bunnies South Africa snap the chains of its World Cup curse, a revelation which further exposes the selection flaw that could have cost Australia the tournament.

Starc was forced to watch from the sidelines when Australia slumped to its fateful loss to Afghanistan only a few days ago, and South Africa sprinkled salt into those raw wounds by completely bulldozing the Afghani top order with their own left-arm destroyer.

Without new ball specialist Starc in the attack for its second Super 8s clash at St Vincent, Australia failed to break through the Afghani brick wall for 16 overs and went on to pay the ultimate price.

But with Marco Jansen in their arsenal for the semi-final in Trinidad, it took South Africa just six balls and they will play the winner of India and England in Saturday night’s (AEST) final in Barbados for the chance to once and for all climb the sporting Everest that has haunted them for decades.

South Africa's Marco Jansen inspired his side to a big win against Afghanistan. Picture: AFP

Man-of-the-match Jansen inspired the history-making achievement for South Africa in Trinidad that left former great Dale Steyn overcome by emotion, and revealed that Starc had actually played a key role in mentoring him on the eve of the World Cup.

“Yeah, it’s funny you say that, because this IPL, I asked him a few questions when we met in the gym at the ground before the final and I asked him a couple of questions on how he swings the ball and what he focuses on and that helped me a lot,” Jansen said after his 3-16 masterclass.

“We are similar but we are different in our own ways.

“He gets a lot of pace off the wicket, where I get a little bit more bounce.

“I took what I could out of that (chat) and he’s a very nice guy.

“And he was more than willing to chat and share what his processes are and how he thinks, how he sees the game which I really appreciate.

We will never know what would have happened had Australia beaten Afghanistan and made the semi-finals, but they would have always fancied their chances against a South African team that had never progressed past the semi-final stage of a World Cup.

Afghanistan's batters had a much tougher time against South Africa than they did against Australia. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP

It was only last year that Australia wrote the latest chapter in South Africa’s painful history by manhandling them in the ODI World Cup semi, and there is no doubt the Proteas would have breathed a humongous sigh of relief when Afghanistan squeezed in instead.

“There’s no point really wasting your emotional energy on it,” South African captain Aiden Markram said about whether he was relieved to not face Australia.

Afghanistan’s semi-final implosion to lose by nine wickets with 11 overs still remaining gave South Africa the free pass perhaps they needed to break their World Cup hoodoo and for Australia, their agony was only exacerbated.

Even despite Australia’s back-to-back losses to Afghanistan and India in the Super 8s, they nearly qualified for the semi-finals anyway, and another eight runs from Bangladesh in their pulsating fixture against the Afghanis would have seen them through.

Given Australia’s mental hold over South Africa in knock-out matches, it’s not unreasonable to speculate that a twist of fate proved the difference between elimination, and making another World Cup final and having a shot at claiming that Triple Crown of ICC events that they craved.

Against Australia, Rahmanullah Gurbaz inspired Afghanistan’s historic victory with his 60 off 49 balls and 118-run opening partnership with Ibrahim Zadran (51).

It’s not possible to go back in time and play the game again, but given Starc’s trademark as the greatest World Cup wicket-taker of all time has been blasting through for wickets in the first over of big international matches, one can only wonder whether his left-arm point of difference might have been the weapon Australia needed to penetrate an Afghanistan batting order that is strong up front, but fades away.

Jansen gave a pretty powerful exhibition of what that theory looks like, as he knocked over Gurbaz and No.3 batsman Gulbadin Naib – miraculously recovered from his infamous ‘cramp’ against Bangladesh – inside the first three overs.

Australia's Mitchell Starc inadverdently helped South Africa end their World Cup curse. Picture: AFP

Markram recognised the importance of the match-up.

“It’s Marco’s best skill. Against the opening batters, it’s his best skill,” he said.

By the end of the power play, Jansen had a third and Afghanistan were completely shot at 5-23, and ultimately bowled out for 56.

“I always try and take wickets with the new ball, because I know personally if get it to swing I can make it count,” Jansen said, basically repeating the MO of Starc.

“It’s just all about getting it in the right area and the right length depending on the wicket and how the wicket is playing.”

It’s far less likely Australia could have conjured that sort of collapse of Afghanistan on the tough St Vincent they were served up, and there is no doubt South Africa’s ability to ride roughshod over them was largely due to the fact Rashid Khan’s spirited team had already played its semi-final by somehow getting over the top of Bangladesh two days before, and struggled to get themselves back up for another battle.

But Jansen still spotlighted why a proven left-arm match-winner like Starc is so risky to leave out, particularly against right-handed opponents not so used to that sort of brand of x-factor bowling.