He has been part of two unfortunate defeats in the World Cups 1992 and 1999.
No one understands the pain of defeats in ICC events more than Allan Donald, who is arguably the greatest fast bowler of South Africa. He has been part of two unfortunate defeats in the World Cups 1992 and 1999, as South Africa lost the semifinals in both tournaments.
Donald has opened up on what the victory in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final means for him and the nation. Labelling this moment ‘massive’ on Cricblog, he said that this win has taken away a lot of pain, and that this is a day for the past players.
“To get that over the line shuts the door that’s over 30-odd years old. Or maybe I’ve jumped the years a little bit, but it’s something that’s taken a lot of pain away, as you know. It really is a day for the past players who were involved in the ’99 World Cup and the guys who followed them, will know how close it was to be in the final, but I think we can safely say now that gate is now shut.”
Allan Donald performed brilliantly with the ball in the World Cup 1999, snaring four wickets for 32 runs in his ten-over spell against Australia in the semifinal. But, unfortunately, he was run out in the final over as a part of a miscommunication and lost his bat midway while running towards the striker’s end, eliminating South Africa from the tournament in the most disastrous manner.
South Africa have always been a competitive side in ICC events and perform consistently. However, they fail to cross the penultimate or final hurdle every time, as visible from their defeats over the years.
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But that might change after a resounding victory in the WTC 2025 final, where the team showed character and will to overcome challenges. They were put under immense pressure after Australia took a reasonable first-innings lead despite scoring low.
However, South Africa managed to fight back with the bat in the fourth innings and scripted a historic win when they looked set to face another unfortunate defeat. This game will instil ample confidence in the group and help them overcome big-game nerves in future tournaments when the pressure is high.
South Africa will now have the belief that they can win these moments and overcome their past failures. That’s why this WTC 2025 final win will go down as one of the biggest moments in their cricketing history, for it can change their mindset and inspire a generation to come.
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